SB    SS7    7SM 


I 


Strange,  but  True. 


LIFE  AND  ADVENTURES 


OF 


CAPTAIN  THOMAS  CRAPO 


AND  WIFE. 


* 





1  ■ 


NEW   BEDFORD: 

CAPT.  THOMAS  CRAPO,   PUBLISHER. 
1893- 


GS-30 
C<?9 


Copyright  1S93,  by  Thomas  Crapo. 


PREFACE. 


The  voyage  of  Captain  Thomas  Crapo  and  his  wife  in 
a  dory  boat  from  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts,  to  Eng- 
land, although  several  years  ago,  is  as  fresh  in  the  memory 
of  the  people  as  though  it  was  but  yesterday. 

I  did  not  see  them  or  the  boat  when  they  sailed,  but  I 
•was  anxious  to  get  the  daily  papers,  in  order  to  find  out 
if  they  were  reported,  and  was  more  than  pleased  to  see 
that  every  time  they  were  reported  they  were  both  well 
and  in  good  spirits. 

And  at  last  the  papers  announced  the  arrival  of  the 
captain  and  his  plucky  wife  at  Penzance,  England. 

People  did  not  think  so  much  about  the  captain  making 
the  attempt  as  they  did  the  idea  of  taking  his  wife  along. 
And  as  the  voyage  was  ended  without  any  serious  dis- 
asters the  newspapers  of  every  country  loudly  applauded 
them. 

Since  it  wras  reported  that  the  attempt  was  to  be  made, 
I  was  very  anxious  to  see  the  hero,  but  never  did,  to  my 
knowledge,  until  about  five  or  six  years  ago,  when  I  in 
company  with  my  wife  attended  one  of  the  churches  on  a 
Sunday  evening.  When  near  the  close  of  the  evening 
services  the  pastor  extended  an  invitation  to  every  one 
present  who  would  like  to  testify  for  Jesus.  Several 
responded  and  gave  their  testimony,  when  presently  a 
gentleman  directly  in  front  of  me  arose  and  made  a  few 
remarks.  After  concluding  his  speech  the  pastor  spoke 
in  this  manner,   as  near  as  I  can  recall    it :   Thank  God, 

M167360 


PREFACE, 


after  years  of  trials  and  tribulations  on  the  briny  deep, 
and  crossing  the  Atlantic  Ocean  in  a  small  dory,  Captain 
Crapo  at  last  acknowledges  his  Superior,  and  now  stands 
before  the  whole  world  a  living  witness  for  Jesus  Christ. 
Praise  the  Lord. 

I  was  all  attention  at  once ;  the  one  I  had  longed  most 
to  see  was  before  me,  and  1  could  scarcely  keep  my  eyes 
from  him.  As  I  had  sailed  the  ocean  myself  I  could 
readily  foresee  some  of  the  dangers  they  would  have  to 
face  in  that  little  boat,  and  his  wife  being  with  him,  when 
there  wras  scarcely  room  for  one  and  turn  around,  made 
the  matter  worse,  as  they  would  naturally  encounter  gales, 
when  the  captain  would  find  it  all  he  could  do  to  look 
after  the  boat,  to  say  nothing  of  his  wife. 

After  their  arrival  they  had  a  little  book  printed  about 
the  voyage,  which  they  sold  for  five  cents,  and  everyone 
seemed  to  want  them.  I  got  one  through  a  friend  of  mine, 
and  eagerly  devoured  its  contents. 

A  short  time  ago  I  was  introduced  to  the  captain  by  his 
wife,  whose  acquaintance  I  had  made  nearly  two  years 
before,  and  I  found  him  a  modest,  unassuming  man,  and 
not  addicted  to  bragging  about  his  exploits. 

In  talking  with  him  on  several  occasions  I  made  up  my 
mind  that  no  adventures  had  been  written  that  could  equal 
the  personal  experience  of  the  captain  of  more  than  thirty 
years  at  sea,  and  I  proposed  the  idea  of  publishing  his 
adventures  to  the  world. 

After  carefully  considering  the  matter  he  at  last  con- 
sented to  do  so,  as  many  people  had  advised  him  the  same 
a  great  many  times  before. 

But,  says  Captain  Crapo,  the  people  of  to-day  are 
looking  for  something  romantic,  that  never  really  existed, 
and  would  probably  think  my  book  too  tame,  as  I  will  not 
have  anything  in  it  but  truths  whether  it  sells  or  not ;   and 


PREFACE.  5 

therefore,  kind  reader,  you  can  be  assured  that  every  word 
enclosed  between  the  covers  of  this  book  about  Captain 
Crapo  and  his  wife  are  facts,  and  no  fairy  tale  to  mislead. 
So  with  the  kind  permission  of  our  friends  everywhere 
we  will  begin  our  story  as  told  by  the  captain  himself,  as 
correctly  as  he  can  recall  the  facts  ;  many  of  minor  im- 
portance, no  doubt,  have  passed  from  his  memory  long 
ago,  but  those  coupled  with  his  experience  written  in  this 
book  he  will  probably  remember  as  long  as  he  lives. 

The  Author. 


CAPTAIN  THOMAS  CRAPO. 


,>   ■> 


THE  CAPTAIN'S  STORY. 


CHAPTER   I. 

I  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  Bedford,  June  27th, 
1842.  My  mother  died  when  I  was  but  eight  years  of  age. 
I  attended  the  public  schools  until  I  was  about  fourteen, 
when  I  ran  away  from  home  to  go  to  sea.  I  had  been 
desirous  of  becoming  a  sailor  for  a  long  time,  but  my 
father  had  always  objected,  so  the  only  way  for  me  to  do 
was  to  run  away  from  my  home,  which,  as  many  others 
had  done  before,  I  saw  no  reason  why  I  could  not  do  the 
same. 

The  more  I  thought  about  it  the  more  determined  I  was, 
and  as  the  whaleship  Marcia  was  nearly  ready  for  sea  I 
left  my  home  and  shipped  aboard  of  her  as  cabin  boy. 
The  Marcia  was  commanded  by  Captain  Billings,  and  we 
sailed  from  New  Bedford  on  the  25th  of  August,  1S57, 
bound  for  the  North  Pacific  Ocean. 

As  the  custom  has  always  been,  the  crew  was  shipped  on 
what  is  called  a  lay.  I  was  to  receive  the  two  hundred  and 
fifteenth,  which  meant  that  of  every  two  hundred  and  fifteen 
barrels  of  oil  caught  by  the  ship  one  belonged  to  me,  or 
the  equivalent  in  money,  and  the  bone  in  the  same  propor- 
tion. And  as  the  outfitters,  termed  sharks,  usually  charge 
a  hundred  dollars  for  clothes  that  could  be  bought  for 
twenty-five  dollars  at  any  clothing  store,  the  sailors  cannot 
justly  claim  anything  from  the  ship  until  their  bill,  with 
interest,  is  paid.  And  the  clothes  they  sell  to  the  poor 
sailors  as  a  general  thing  scarcely  hold  together  until  they 


8  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

get  into  deep  water,  and  the  tobacco  that  can  be  bought  at 
any  tobacco  store  for  fifty  cents,  they  charge  the  sailors  one 
dollar  per  pound.  Anything  to  rob  the  poor,  misguided 
sailor,  who,  as  soon  as  his  money  is  gone,  is  off  again  on 
another  voyage. 

I  was  informed  that  my  duties  were  to  keep  the  cabin 
clean,  wash  dishes,  black  the  captain's  boots,  and  make 
myself  generally  useful. 

Our  crew  numbered  thirty-five  all  told,  which  was  the 
usual  complement  for  a  whaleship  that  swung  four  boats. 
Our  crew  consisted  of  captain,  first,  second,  third  and 
fourth  mates,  four  boat  steerers,  cook,  steward,  cooper, 
carpenter  and  cabin  boy,  and  twenty-one  seamen,  some  of 
them  able  seamen,  ordinary  seamen,  and  the  balance  were 
green  hands  making  their  first  voyage. 

As  usual  when  a  ship  sails,  relatives  and  friends  of  the 
crew  accompany  them  down  the  bay,  returning  with  the 
pilot  on  the  pilot  boat.  The  pilot  while  on  board  has  full 
charge  of  the  vessel,  and  remains  on  board  until  she  is  in 
deep  water  with  plenty  of  sea  room.  The  captain  assumes 
command  as  soon  as  the  pilot  leaves.  A  large  number 
went  down  with  us  and  everything  was  bustle  and  com- 
motion, and  one  could  scarcely  tell  which  of  them  had 
shipped  for  the  voyage,  as  they  were  up  and  down  the  fore- 
castle, and  in  fact  around  all  parts  of  the  ship  ;  and  dinner 
being  served  while  they  were  on  board,  they  partook  of 
it  with  the  rest,  and  many  of  them  seemed  to  like  the  hard- 
tack, as  it  is  called. 

At  last  our  friends  were  called  to  accompany  the  pilot 
back  to  New  Bedford.  With  handshaking  and  wishes  of 
good  luck  they  depart,  and  we  proceeded  on  our  long 
voyage.  On  seeing  them  depart,  and  knowing  it  would  be 
four  long  years,  if  ever,  before  I  should  see  any  of  them 
again,  caused  me  to  regret  the  step  I  had  taken  ;   but,  alas ! 


CAPT.   THOS.   CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  9 

it  was  too  late.     I  was  booked  for  four  long  years,  and  no 
way  to  do  but  grin  and  bear  it. 

While  gazing  longingly  at  the  receding  shores  of  my 
birth  I  was  aroused  from  my  gloomy  thoughts  by  the 
captain,  who,  in  a  loud  but  pleasant  voice,  summoned  all 
hands  in  the  waist  of  the  ship.  Not  knowing  where  it  was, 
I  followed  the  rest,  and  as  they  stopped  in  the  center  of  the 
ship  I  did  the  same,  concluding  that  to  be  the  waist.  After 
all  hands  had  gathered  there  the  captain  stated  very  plainly 
to  us  that  every  one  on  board  must  obey  the  order  given  by 
the  officers,  and  do  their  duty  to  the  ship  and  themselves. 
He  wished  to  see  everything  pleasant  at  all  times,  and  if 
any  trouble  should  arise  to  report  promptly  to  him  and  he 
would  attend  to  it ;  for,  said  he,  we  are  as  brothers  while  on 
this  ship,  and  our  main  object  is  whale  oil,  and  each  and 
every  one  of  you  must  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  the  whales  ; 
and  in  order  to  remind  you  of  it  I  will  offer  as  a  prize  a 
quantity  of  tobacco  to  be  given  to  the  one  that  raises  the 
first  whale. 

After  he  had  finished  talking,  the  officers  proceeded  to 
choose  their  boat's  crews,  each  of  the  officers  as  they  rank 
— first,  second,  third  and  fourth  mates — choosing  one  at  a 
time  until  they  were  supplied,  those  not  chosen  to  act  as 
ship-keepers  while  the  boats  were  down  for  whales,  or  if 
anyone  was  sick  or  disabled  to  take  their  place  in  the  boat. 

Then  each  one  is  instructed  what  oar  they  are  to  pull 
and  what  other  duties  were  expected  of  them. 

The  first  mate's  boat  is  called  the  larboard  boat,  the 
second  mate's  the  waist,  and  the  third  mate's  the  bow  boat ; 
the  fourth  mate's  is  called  the  starboard  or  captain's  boat, 
and  is  generally  used  by  him  when  he  wishes  to  go  after 
whales  himself,  and  is    also  used  for  gamming  purposes. 

What  is  meant  by  gamming  is  for  vessels  to  meet  in  their 
travels  across  the  ocean,  when  the  captain  of  one  will  take 


IO  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

* 

a  crew  and  row  or  sail,  as  the  case  may  be,  over  to  the  other 
vessel,  which  brings  the  two  captains  together.  The  mate 
of  the  ship  visited  takes  a  crew  and  goes  back,  which  brings 
both  first  mates  together.  The  sailors  are  always  on  the 
lookout  for  a  gam,  as  many  times  they  hear  from  home  and 
stories  are  told,  songs  sung,  and  a  general  good  smoke  all 
around,  and  generally  the  cooks  are  ordered  to  get  up  a 
special  dinner  or  supper  for  all  hands  ;  sometimes  in  good 
weather  vessels  will  gam  for  several  days. 

The  crews  of  the  first  and  third  mate's  boats  are  called 
the  port  or  larboard  watch,  and  those  of  the  second  and 
fourth  the  starboard  or  captain's  watch. 

Having  been  assigned  to  watches,  the  port  watch  was 
sent  below,  and  the  starboard  watch  remained  on  deck 
making  sail  and  coiling  up  rigging,  as  night  was  fast 
approaching.  At  half-past  six  the  watch  below  had  their 
supper  ready  to  relieve  the  watch  then  on  deck  at  seven 
o'clock.  I  watched  the  steward  get  the  sidelights  ready 
to  be  put  up  in  the  rigging,  one  green  and  the  other  red, 
where  they  remain  until  daylight.  When  the  clock  in  the 
cabin  indicated  seven  o'clock,  the  boat  steerer  that  was 
steering  struck  the  bell  hanging  just  behind  him  eight 
times,  when  the  watch  below  came  on  deck  and  those  on 
deck  went  below,  to  remain  until  called  at  eleven  o'clock. 

On  taking  charge  of  the  deck  an  able  seaman  took  the 
wheel,  the  one  relieved  giving  him  the  course  to  steer,  and 
another  was  posted  on  the  topgallant  forecastle  to  keep 
a  sharp  lookout  ahead,  the  watch  being  in  charge  of  the 
first  and  third  mates,  who  walked  the  quarter  deck,  and, 
as  is  generally  the  case,  the  crew  are  called  aft  quite  often 
by  the  command  of  haul  main  braces,  in  order  to  turn 
her  sails  to  the  wind. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  man  at  the  wheel  strikes  the  bell 
four  times,  when  another  takes  his  place,  the  one  relieved 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  II 

instructing  the  one  relieving  him  what  course  to  steer, 
and  another  of  the  watch  relieves  the  lookout  by  taking 
his  place. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  wheelman  strikes  eight  bells, 
when  the  third  mate  usually  calls  the  second  and  fourth 
officers,  one  of  the  crew  calling  the  watch  from  below. 
When  they  are  all  on  deck  the  watch  relieved  goes  below 
to  sleep  until  three  o'clock,  when  they  again  muster  on 
deck,  as  watchers  are  on  deck  four  hours  and  below  the 
same. 

Before  morning  I  was  not  only  homesick,  but  seasick 
as  well,  and  if  I  could  only  got  on  shore  I  don't  think 
anything  would  ever  tempt  me  to  try  it  again.  Being 
cabin  boy  I  slept  in  the  cabin,  which  was  far  superior  to 
sleeping  in  the  forecastle,  where  the  sailors  are  always 
cramped  for  room,  and  seasickness  in  such  a  packed-up 
place  must  be  awful. 

I  did  not  have  to  stand  watch,  but  every  time  that  bell 
rung  for  the  first  few  nights  I  heard  it. 

The  next  day  the  officers  and  boat  steerers  got  out  the 
whale  lines,  and  began  to  splice  them  in  order  to  have 
them  long  enough  to  suit.  Then  the  harpoons  and  lances 
were  ground,  the  sailors  turning  the  grindstone.  The 
long  and  short  handled  spades  are  ground,  and  we  were 
ready  for  whales,  each  boat  steerer  supplying  his  boat  with 
four  or  five  irons  and  lances  ready  for  use  in  case  they 
are  needed. 

The  lookout  rings  were  also  put  up,  two  at  the  fore- 
mast, two  at  the  main  and  two  at  the  mizzenmast.  The 
officers  and  boat  steerers  keep  lookout  at  the  main  and  the 
foremast  hands  at  the  fore  and  mizzen.  The  captain  also 
generally  stands  masthead  several  times  a  day. 

Masthead  lookout  is  relieved  at  four  and  eight  bells 
through  the  day,  and  during  the  dog-watch  from  four  to 


12  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon;   both  watches  are  on  deck  at 
once,  and  are  generally  kept  busy  by  washing  the  deck. 

A  boat's  crew  consists  of  an  officer,  boat  steerer,  one 
man  at  the  stroke  or  after  oar,  one  at  the  tub,  who,  when 
a  whale  is  struck,  must  immediately  dash  water  onto  the 
line  to  keep  it  from  getting  on  fire,  a  midship  and  bow 
oarsman,  making  a  list  of  six  all  told. 

A  whaleboat  is  supplied  with  the  following  articles : 
one  large  tub  of  line ;  one  small  tub  of  short  line  ;  four  or 
five  harpoons  ;  three  or  four  lances ;  a  lantern  keg  with  a 
antern,  matches  and  hard-tack  in  it,  to  be  opened  only 
when  fast  to  a  whale  all  night  or  out  of  sight  of  the  ship  ; 
a  bomb  gun  and  bombs  to  shoot  into  a  whale  and  explode 
inside  ;  a  mast  and  sails  ;  paddles  ;  a  keg  of  water  to  drink, 
also  a  small  piggin  to  drink  out  of  for  a  dipper ;  a  hatchet ; 
short  spade  ;  sheath  knife  and  a  drague,  to  make  fast  to  a 
whale  if  possible  when  a  boat  gets  stove  ;  and  several  other 
small  things,  which,  coupled  with  the  oars  and  six  men,  fill 
the  little  boat,  about  twenty-eight  feet  long,  pretty  full. 

The  paddles  play  quite  a  prominent  part  in  a  whaleboat, 
as  in  case  of  light  winds  the  crew  sit  on  the  gunwale  and 
paddle  as  hard  as  possible  after  the  whales ;  but  it  must  be 
done  without  a  noise,  as  whales  are  easily  startled,  when 
off  they  will  go  like  the  wind. 

During  the  first  five  or  six  days  I  remained  below  most 
of  the  time,  being  too  sick  to  be  about,  as  anyone  that  has 
ever  been  seasick  would  know,  and  how  I  longed  to  be 
at  home ;  and  as  I  said  to  myself  many  and  many  times, 
if  I  was  there  I  would  stay  and  be  contented.  Yet  every 
one  on  board  was  kind  to  me  and  cheered  me  all  they 
knew  how,  but  that  was  not  what  I  wanted  ;  I  wanted  to 
go  home  to  New  Bedford,  but  as  I  began  to  feel  better  I 
was  more  contented,  only  the  water  and  victuals  did  not 
suit  me,  yet  I  fared  better  than  the  sailors. 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  1 3 

To  those  that  have  not  been  to  sea  I  will  say  that  fresh- 
water put  into  new  casks  in  hot  weather  is  not  much  of  a 
luxury  at  any  time.  After  it  has  been  in  the  cask  a  few 
days  it  gets  ropy  and  stringy,  and  is  by  no  means  pala- 
table, not  even  after  it  settles  and  works  clear  ;  it  still  has 
that  flat,  nasty  taste,  and  is  enough  to  turn  some  people's 
stomachs. 

And  the  grub,  as  sailors  say,  that  is  still  worse.  Just 
imagine  for  a  moment  the  cook  taking  a  piece  of  salt 
meat  from  the  cask,  salted  with  saltpeter  and  soaking  it 
all  night  in  salt  water  to  freshen  it,  and  then  boil  it  in 
salt  water,  and  after  boiling  skims  the  grease  that  rises  to 
the  top  to  make  scouse,  as  it  is  called,  for  the  crew. 
Scouse  is  made  in  this  way  :  put  a  quantity  of  hard-tack 
into  a  canvas  bag  and  break  it  up  with  a  hammer  and  put 
it  to  soak  in  water  over  night ;  then  for  breakfast  warm 
up  the  grease  and  cut  up  some  of  the  meat  and  mix  it 
all  together ;  surely  to  see  it  you  would  think  it  rather 
uninviting  to  make  a  dinner  of,  yet  sailors  as  a  rule  get  it 
to  eat  every  morning,  and  the  same  mixture  baked,  which 
don't  improve  it  any,  for  supper.  When  you  hear  sailors 
speaking  about  lob  scouse  this  is  the  mixture  they  mean, 
and  dandyfunk  is  nearly  the  same,  with  molasses  put  in  to 
tone  it  up,  as  extra.  In  order  to  get  a  change  the  sailors 
catch  albicores  and  skipjacks,  which  are  usually  very 
plentiful,  as  they  follow  a  ship  for  months. 

Meal  cakes,  more  commonly  called  Johnny  cakes,  are 
very  good  for  breakfast,  but  sailors  don't  think  so,  as  the 
way  they  get  them  is  the  same  as  the  farmers  give  it  to 
their  chickens,  merely  mixed  up  in  warm  water,  and  full 
of  lumps  as  large  as  a  bird's  egg.  This  is  to  be  eaten 
with  molasses,  which  is  furnished  in  small  quantities,  and 
codfish  balls,  the  fish  usually  being  so  rancid  as  to  be  unfit 
to  eat,  as  it  will  not  hold  together ;   but  we  get  it  pounded 


1 4  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

up  in  water,  and  as  potatoes  are  usually  quite  plenty  you  can 
add  them  to  suit  yourself.  There  is  no  necessity  of  having 
a  salt  shaker  as  everything  will  be  found  salt  enough. 

At  dinner  you  get  baked  beans,  which  is  generally  quite 
palatable,  and  one  from  each  watch  divides  them,  so  each 
will  receive  his  share.  And  the  next  day  for  dinner  you 
get  soft-tack,  a  sailor's  name  for  white  bread,  which  is 
seldom  soft,  but  very  hard  and  heavy,  and  many  times 
very  sour  to  the  taste ;  should  you  offer  one  to  a  common 
tramp  I  do  not  believe  he  would  accept  it. 

Plum  duff  is  a  Sunday  dish,  and  the  plums  are  usually 
dried  apples,  and  is  the  best  dish  on  board  of  a  whale 
ship,  especially  if  it  is  made  good  ;  but  many  times  the 
owners  ship  very  poor  cooks,  and  that,  of  course,  means 
poor  food  ;  but  if  any  fault  is  found  the  captain  usually 
calls  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  there  is  plenty  hard- 
tack in  the  main  hold,  and  you  can  eat  that,  which  is  not 
much  satisfaction  at  best,  but  one  must  do  it  or  go  hungry. 
By  breaking  up  hard-tack  in  water  sweetened  with 
molasses  and  a  few  drops  of  vinegar,  called  swanky,  you 
can  relish  quite  a  breakfast  for  a  change,  and  sailors 
usually  get  very  fat  on  it. 

As  each  man  washes  his  own  dishes  after  eating,  the 
cook  is  not  bothered  with  them  ;  and  as  they  usually  con- 
sist of  a  small  pan  and  tablespoon  and  quart  tin  cup, 
with  sometimes  a  knife  and  fork,  it  does  not  take  them 
long,  as  they  generally  pour  in  a  little  water  and  rub  it 
around  and  wipe  it  and  it  is  all  done.  The  sailors  are 
not  bothered  with  butter  dishes,  as  they  do  not  get  the 
butter,  but  I  had  some  in  the  cabin,  as  there  is  where  they 
do  get  it,  also  in  the  steerage  among  the  boat  steerers. 

On  account  of  such  poor  food  the  sailors  many  times 
exchange  clothing  for  better  bread  and  butter  or  anything 
good  with  the  boat  steerers. 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  1 5 

I  do  not  know  what  the  tea  is  made  of  that  is  served 
for  supper,  but  the  bucket  the  sailors  get  it  in  will  be 
about  a  quarter  full  of  large  leaves,  and  look  as  though 
they  had  been  gathered  in  an  apple  orchard  in  the  fall  of 
the  year ;  yet  the  tea  was  better  than  clear  water.  The 
coffee  served  for  breakfast  is  made  of  roasted  barley,  and 
is  quite  good. 

But  to  proceed  with  my  story.  About  twenty  days 
from  home  we  sighted  the  Azores  Islands,  more  com- 
monly called  the  Western  Islands,  inhabited  by  Portu- 
guese. We  ran  in  at  Fayal,  one  of  the  largest,  but  did 
not  anchor,  as  our  stay  was  to  be  short ;  the  captain  did 
not  deem  it  advisable,  as  it  is  considerable  trouble  to  haul 
the  cable  from  the  locker  amidships  and  put  the  necessary 
turns  around  the  windlass  and  shackle  it  to  the  anchor,  as 
a  large  quantity  of  slack  is  needed  to  anchor  in  safety, 
besides  the  water  is  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  deep  and 
upwards,  which  takes  a  large  quantity  of  chain  in  order  to 
give  the  vessel  a  good  scope  for  holding  fast ;  so  we 
shortened  sail  and  let  her  drift  around,  called  laying  off 
and  on. 

On  arriving  the  captain  lowered  with  a  boat's  crew 
and  went  ashore  for  letters,  fresh  meat,  potatoes,  onions, 
yams  and  cabbages,  and  so  forth,  the  crew  remaining  in 
the  boat  until  his  return.  He  also  shipped  three  Portu- 
guese for  the  balance  of  the  voyage. 

After  the  supplies  were  put  on  board  we  squared  away, 
bound  south.  I  watched  those  islands  as  long  as  I  could 
see  them,  as  it  seemed  good  to  me  to  see  land  again,  as  I 
had  not  yet  become  reconciled  to  my  position,  but  they 
soon  disappeared  from  view  as  we  continued  on.  While 
in  the  latitude  of  the  equator  (termed  the  line)  a  large 
school  of  sperm  whales  was  sighted.  The  captain  imme- 
diately called  to  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  deck  at  the 


1 6  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

time  to  call  all  hands  and  get  the  boats  ready  for  lower- 
ing;  the  watch  below  are  awakened,  jump  into  their 
clothes  as  quick  as  possible  and  get  on  deck.  The  first 
thing  to  be  done  is  to  put  the  tub  of  line  (which  is 
usually  kept  on  a  rest  on  the  rail  close  to  the  boat  made 
for  that  purpose)  into  the  boat  and  stand  ready  to  climb 
down  the  side  of  the  ship  to  drop  into  the  boat  as  soon 
as  she  strikes  the  water.  The  mate  in  his  place  in  the 
stern  and  the  boat  steerer  in  the  bow  are  lowered  in  her  to 
cast  off  the  falls  as  she  settles  in  the  water.  The  first  mate 
starts  lowering  when  the  rest  follow,  when  the  falls  are 
cast  off  the  boat  drops  astern  of  the  ship,  when  the  mast  is 
stripped  and  the  sail  set,  and  off  we  go  after  the  whales. 
I  stood  at  the  rail  watching  the  boats  all  the  time,  wishing 
I  was  in  one  of  them,  as  I  was  very  anxious  to  see  a  whale. 

No  sooner  had  the  sails  been  set  than  the  sailors  took 
their  paddles  and  each  boat  strove  for  the  lead,  and  excite- 
ment ran  high,  each  crew  doing  their  best  to  beat  their 
companions. 

As  soon  as  the  boats  are  lowTered  the  captain  goes  up  to 
the  foremast  head  and  signals  to  the  boats  with  a  flag  kept 
for  that  purpose.  When  the  whales  are  up  he  hoists  the 
flag  and  takes  it  down  when  they  sound.  When  the 
whales  are  ahead  of  the  ship  the  flying  jib  is  hauled  down  ; 
when  on  the  bow  the  clew  of  the  fore  topgallant  sail  is 
hauled  up  ;  when  on  the  beam  the  mainsail  is  hauled  up, 
and  when  on  the  quarter  the  head  of  the  spanker  is  hauled 
in,  and  when  astern  the  whole  spanker  is  brailed  up  ;  so 
by  keeping  an  eye  on  the  ship  the  occupants  of  the  boats 
can  keep  run  of  the  school. 

The  cooper  stands  at  the  main  topmast  and  hoists  an- 
other colored  flag,  when  a  boat  makes  fast,  so  the  other 
boats  will  know,  and  be  on  the  lookout  in  case  assistance 
is    needed,    as    many    times    a    boat    is    kicked    to    pieces, 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  1 7 

especially  sperm  whaling,  as  a  sperm  whale  is  a  fighter, 
and  as  he  has  teeth  in  his  lower  jaw  (being  the  only  whale 
that  has  teeth)  he  many  times  makes  good  use  of  them  by 
biting  anything  he  can  get  hold  of.  Many  times  they  will 
settle  in  the  water  with  their  head  up  straight,  and  snap 
their  jaws  together  in  a  fit  of  rage,  which  would  snap  a 
man's  head  or  leg  off  in  a  jiffy,  should  he  be  unfortunate 
enough  to  get  near  it.  Many  times  a  boat  is  stove,  leaving 
the  crew  to  look  out  for  themselves  for  hours,  or  until  the 
ship  can  get  to  them,  as  the  other  boats  are  supposed  to 
pursue  the  school  as  long  as  there  is  any  show  of  getting  a 
whale. 

Everything  went  well  until  one  of  the  boats  drew  along- 
side of  a  good  sized  whale,  and  the  boat  steerer  took  his 
stand  with  his  harpoon  poised  ready  to  dart.  As  the  boat 
drew  up  in  the  position  that  suited  him  he  darted,  and  as 
luck  seemed  against  him,  his  iron  either  fell  short  or  went 
over  the  whale,  which  so  frightened  him  and  all  the  others 
that  they  made  off  with  the  speed  of  the  wind.  So  the 
boats  returned  to  the  ship,  the  crew  very  much  put  out 
with  the  boat  steerer  for  not  making  fast. 

Whales  usually  swim  along  in  groups  like  a  line  of 
soldiers,  and  the  boat  steerer  always  picks  out  the  fattest  and 
largest  one,  and  in  order  to  get  him  he  must  go  between 
the  flukes  of  two  of  them,  which  he  must  be  very  careful  in 
doing,  as  when  struck  the  whale  raises  his  flukes  high  in 
the  air  and  brings  them  down  with  a  bang,  intending  to 
crush  his  slayer,  and  should  both  do  so  at  once  he  would 
be  in  a  rather  uncomfortable  position,  as  they  would  prob- 
ably swamp  the  boat  if  they  did  not  strike  it ;  or,  as  has 
been  done,  turn  upon  the  boat  and  smash  it  to  pieces, 
causing  broken  limbs  and  loss  of  life. 

We  again,  after  hoisting  up  the  boats,  continued  south, 
nothing  occurring  worthy  of  mention  until  we  arrived  off 


1 8  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

River  Platte,  when  a  heavy  gale  sprung  up,  which  tossed 
us  about  like  a  chip.  I  did  not  feel  very  comfortable,  as 
I  expected  we  would  go  to  pieces  or  be  tipped  over  in 
the  heavy  seas  which  looked  like  mountains  rolling 
towards  us,  and  the  ship  rolled  so  and  took  on  so  much 
water,  you  could  almost  swim  on  deck,  and  I  could  hardly 
keep  my  feet,  but  thank  Heaven  it  did  not  last  very  long, 
and  I  began  to  feel  better,  yet  wondering  in  my  own  mind 
how  a  ship  could  stand  such  thumping,  rolling  and  pitch- 
ing. Those  are  the  times  a  man  with  a  cool  head  and 
good  judgment  is  needed  to  save  the  ship  from  destruction, 
the  loss  of  many  occurring  on  account  of  the  captain  not 
being  competent  to  do  so,  as  many  are  promoted  to  the 
captaincy  through  favor  more  than  experience,  but  Captain 
Billings  was  competent  and  knew  what  he  was  about,  and 
I  made  up  my  mind  to  brave  it  out  without  any  more  fear. 

After  the  gale  abated  and  the  seas  quieted  down  a  little, 
we  cruised  around  for  a  few  days  but  did  not  see  any 
whales ;  so  again  sailed  south,  and  in  rounding  Cape 
Horn  the  weather  was  terrible,  the  seas  rolling  mountains 
high,  and  the  wind  howling  through  the  rigging.  I  can- 
not describe  it  as  I  would,  but  as  many  times  vessels  are 
driven  back  and  try  for  weeks  for  a  favorable  time  to 
round  it,  my  readers  can  form  a  little  idea  what  it  must 
be.  But,  though  tossed  about  like  a  cockle  shell  for  hours, 
we  at  last  arrived  in  smoother  water  on  the  other  side. 
We  then  squared  away  for  the  island  of  Mocha,  on  the 
coast  of  Chili  in  South  America. 

On  arriving  at  Mocha  we  lay  off  and  on  as  before  at 
Fayal,  the  captain  again  going  ashore  for  letters  and  pro- 
visions. When  out  of  sight  of  the  boat  three  of  the  boat's 
crew  deserted.  When  the  captain  returned  to  the  boat  he 
was  informed  of  the  fact,  when  he  again  went  ashore  and 
offered  a  reward  for  their  capture.     The  boat  then  returned 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  1 9 

to  the  ship,  when  the  sailors  told  us  about  the  men  running 
away.  After  the  captain  had  informed  the  officers  of  the 
desertion  he  sailed  a  short  distance  from  the  island,  to  make 
the  deserters  think  he  was  going  out  to  sea  (deserters  gen- 
erally put  for  the  mountains  and  remain  hidden  until  the 
ship  sails,  when  they  come  down  among  the  natives), 
when  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  signal  fires  on 
shore  announced  the  capture  of  the  deserters.  The  first 
mate,  with  a  picked  crew,  at  once  started  for  the  shore, 
and  soon  returned  with  the  runaways. 

Runaways  are  generally  punished  by  losing  their  watch 
below  in  the  daytime  for  a  period  of  time  fixed  by  the 
captain,  and  only  an  allowance  of  hard-tack,  and  a  stated 
quantity  of  water  to  drink,  during  the  time. 

We  then  squared  away  for  Talcahuna,  about  three  days' 
sail  away.  We  saw  plenty  of  whales,  but  the  weather  was 
such  as  to  render  it  impossible  to  get  them,  so  it  was 
deemed  advisable  not  to  lower  the  boats. 

On  arriving  at  Talcahuna  the  cable  was  hauled  from  the 
locker  amidship  and  rove  around  the  windlass,  and  when 
shackled  to  the  anchor  was  ready  to  drop  into  the  sea  in 
order  to  hold  the  ship  against  the  force  of  wind  and  water. 
When  in  a  satisfactory  distance  from  the  land  the  anchor 
was  let  go,  when  the  vessel  soon  came  to  a  standstill ; 
then  the  sails  were  furled,  rigging  coiled  up,  while  the 
captain  went  on  shore  for  letters  and  supplies  as  before. 
After  the  supplies  were  put  on  board,  and  the  ship  put  in 
shape,  the  crew  was  given  liberty  on  shore,  the  starboard 
watch  being  the  first  to  go,  the  captain  giving  each  one 
one  dollar  and  ten  cents  each  day.  Each  watch  had  three 
days  on  shore.  I  do  not  know  how  much  the  boat  steerers 
got,  but  I  suppose  about  five  dollars  each  day. 

During  our  stay  ten  of  our  crew  deserted.  The  captain 
again  offered  a  reward  for  their  capture.     We  then  hove 


20  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

up  anchor  and  put  to  sea,  and  on  our  return,  a  few  days 
afterward,  we  found  only  one  had  been  caught ;  the  others 
were  not  so  easily  fooled,  probably  sure  the  ship  would  be 
back  after  them  in  a  few  days.  So  I  did  not  see  them 
again,  as  we  squared  away  for  the  Galapagos  Islands. 

The  barque  Peru,  of  Nantucket,  being  in  port  for  water 
and  provisions,  we  sailed  in  company.  When  off  the 
islands  we  sighted  whales,  the  boats  were  got  ready  for 
lowering,  and  on  account  of  so  many  of  the  crew  deserting 
I  was  told  to  go  in  the  third  mate's  boat,  which  I  was 
more  than  pleased  to  do,  as  I  was  very  anxious  to  see  a 
whale  close  to. 

And  fortune  favored  our  boat,  as  we  soon  drew  along- 
side of  one.  I  watched  closely  every  move  made  by  the 
boat  steerer,  as  everything  now  depended  upon  him.  As 
we  drew  closer  to  him  the  boat  steerer  stood  up  and  braced 
his  knee  in  the  bow  chock  (a  place  sawed  out  for  that 
purpose),  then  placed  two  harpoons  in  a  crotched  stick, 
fitted  to  hold  them  handy  to  reach,  and  as  the  boat  got 
close  to  him  he  darted  first  one  and  then  the  other,  the 
irons  striking  the  whale  just  forward  of  his  hump,  and 
quickly  sank  to  the  sockets  in  the  thick  blubber.  As  the 
irons  struck  him  he  raised  his  flukes  high  in  the  air  and 
brought  them  down  with  a  bang  which  nearly  swamped 
us,  and  it  was  lucky  for  us  it  didn't  strike  the  boat,  as  it 
would  have  smashed  it  into  pieces.  He  then  started  to 
run,  and  how  we  flew  through  the  water ;  the  water  fairly 
boiled  along  the  sides  of  the  boat.  I  never  rode  so  fast  in 
my  life  before.  He  kept  up  his  mad  pace  for  a  period  of 
about  ten  minutes,  when  he  slowed  up.  The  third  mate 
then  exchanged  places  with  the  boat  steerer  (as  the  mate 
always  does  the  killing),  and  ordered  us  to  pull  in  the  line 
which  draws  the  boat  up  to  the  whale.  And  great  care 
must  be  taken  not  to  get  in  the  coils,  as  the  whale  is  liable 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  21 

to  take  a  fresh  start  at  any  time,  when  woe  to  any  one  who 
gets  afoul  of    it.      We  hauled  close  up  to  him  as  he  lay 
quite  still,  and  the  third  mate  proceeded  to  lance  him,  and 
soon  had  him  spouting  volumes  of  thick  blood,  when  we 
drew  away  from  him  and  let  him  have  his  flurry,  which 
was  of  short  duration,  when  he  rolled  over  on  his  side,  fin 
up,  dead.     We  then  drew  up  alongside  of  him,  when  the 
officer  cut  a  hole  in  his  flukes  and  made  the  boat  fast  to 
him,  at  the  same  time  signalling  the  ship  with  a  small  flag 
carried  for  that  purpose,  when    the    ship  bore  down  and 
made    him    fast   with  what    is    called    a    fluke    chain    run 
through  a  hose  pipe  forward  and  around  his  flukes ;    it  is 
then  made  fast  to  a    bit  and  we  have    him    secure.      Our 
boat  was  then  hoisted  up    and  we  were  again  on  board. 
We  then   made  preparations  to  cut  him  in.     A  stage  for 
doing  so  is   swTung  across  the  gangway  in    the  waist,  the 
heavy  falls  made  fast  around  the  mainmast  head,  then  the 
turns    are    put    around  the  windlass  and   all    is  ready  for 
cutting    him    in.      The  officers    take    long-handled    spades 
and  cut  the  thick  blubber,  the  crew  heaving  at  the  wind- 
lass, and  as  they  heave  it  rolls  the  whale  over  and  over  so 
the  officers  can  cut  it  off ;  the  large  strips  as  they  are  hove 
in    are    called    blanket    pieces.       A   boat    steerer   then    is 
lowered  into  the  whale  by  a  rope  under  his  arms  to  reeve 
head    needle,   so  the  head  can  be   made  fast    and  severed 
from  the  body,  which  usually  sinks  as  soon  as  it  is  stripped 
of  the  blubber.      The  head  of  a  sperm  whale  is  hoisted  on 
deck  unless  it  is  a  very  large  one,  when  it  is  lashed  along- 
side.     As  the  best  oil  is  found  in  the  head  great  care  is 
exercised  in   saving    it,  but  many  times  they  sink  and  are 
lost. 

It  is  surprising  to  see  how  quick  the  sharks  will  gather 
around  a  dead  whale,  and  while  the  boat  steerer  is  over- 
board the  officers  are  kept  busy  trying  to  keep  them  away 


22  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

by  cutting  them  with  the  long-handled  spades,  as  they  are 
very  ravenous. 

After  we  had  completed  cutting  the  whale  in,  we  began 
to  cut  him  up  into  what  is  called  horse  pieces,  which  are 
then  put  through  a  mincing  machine,  which  scarps  it 
similar  to  the  pork  in  a  pot  of  beans. 

The  pots  were  then  got  ready  for  use  by  filling  them 
about  two-thirds  full  of  the  case  oil  from  the  head  (sup- 
posed to  be  the  brains  of  the  whale),  which  is  sometimes 
bailed  out  of  the  head  in  buckets  ;  then  the  fires  are  lighted, 
an  officer  being  in  charge  of  the  boiling.  After  the  head  is 
all  tried  out  the  horse  pieces  are  put  in,  and  when  the  oil 
is  all  out  of  them  they  are  screened  off  and  put  into  a  scrap 
napper  to  use  for  fuel,  some  always  being  kept  to  start  the 
fires  with.  As  the  pots  fill  up  the  oil  is  bailed  into  a  copper 
tank,  called  the  cooler,  and  as  that  fills  up  it  is  then  bailed 
into  casks  prepared  by  the  cooper.  I  eagerly  watched  all 
the  process  it  went  through  as  it  was  new  business  for  me, 
and  after  it  was  all  finished  I  heard  it  made  about  thirty-five 
barrels  of  oil ;  so  you  see  that  with  the  two  hundred  and 
fifteenth  lay  it  did  me  no  good,  yet  it  was  a  good  start. 

We  continued  to  cruise  around  for  a  period  of  ten  or 
twelve  days,  but  as  no  more  whales  were  seen  and  in  a 
calm  the  ship  was  drifting  toward  the  shore,  the  captain 
ordered  all  the  boats  down  to  try  to  tow  her  away.  We 
pulled  hard  all  day  until  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
when  a  light  breeze  sprung  up,  which  gave  us  a  lead  off 
shore,  when  the  boats  were  ordered  back  to  the  ship.  After 
hoisting  them  up  we  trimmed  the  sails  and  away  we  went, 
clearing  the  land  in  safety. 

As  the  breeze  held  on  we  headed  for  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  about  twenty  days'  sail  away,  and  after  a  pleasant 
run  we  ran  in  and  anchored  off  the  Island  of  Mahe,  one  of 
the  group.     After  fresh  water  and  provisions  were  put  on 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  23 

board  we  were  again  given  liberty  of  three  days  each. 
While  there  I  asked  permission  of  the  captain  to  go  forward 
before  the  mast,  as  it  is  called,  with  the  sailors,  which  he 
permitted  me  to  do,  as  he  had  shipped  a  Kanaka  boy  in  my 
place. 

I  then  considered  myself  a  sailor  at  once.  I  moved  my 
chest  from  the  cabin  into  the  forecastle,  and  then  had  to 
stand  watch,  my  trick  (as  it  is  called)  at  the  wheel  and 
masthead  with  the  rest  of  the  sailors. 

I  was  assigned  to  the  port  watch  and  the  first  mate's  boat, 
and  was  to  pull  his  stroke  oar. 

While  anchored  there  many  of  us  received  letters  from 
home,  from  relatives  and  friends,  which  to  a  sailor  is  a 
luxury,  as  it  carries  their  minds  back  to  their  school  days, 
and  many  little  things  are  brought  to  mind,  and  to  think 
they  are  still  remembered  though  thousands  of  miles  from 
home,  ofttimes  brings  tears  of  gratitude  to  their  eyes,  and 
many  of  them  are  read  over  and  over  again.  While  out  of 
port  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  go  below  and  find  a  sailor 
reading  and  pondering  over  a  letter  from  a  father,  mother 
or  sweetheart.  And  they  are  eagerly  looked  for  as  soon  as 
the  captain  after  going  ashore  returns,  and  the  glad  look 
leaps  into  their  eyes  when  he  calls  aloud  their  name. 
Again,  on  the  other  hand,  there  are  those  that  do  not  receive 
any,  and  while  others  do,  you  can  almost  picture  their  feel- 
ings by  watching  them  ;  their  heart  seems  to  be  held  in  a 
balance  expecting  to  hear  their  name  called  when  it  could 
jump  for  joy,  and  as  there  are  none  for  them  they  turn  on 
their  heel  as  though  a  heavy  weight  was  hung  to  them. 

Before  leaving  Mahe  the  captain  shipped  enough  Kanakas 
to  complete  his  crew  on  account  of  those  deserting. 

There  were  about  fifty  vessels  at  anchor  in  the  harbor 
while  we  were  there,  mostly  whalers  in  for  water,  provisions, 
and  to  give  the  sailors  a  run  on  shore,  and  as  we  met  a  great 


34  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

many  of  them  we  had  a  good  time.  Our  third  mate,  a 
Portuguese  named  Lewis,  was  taken  sick,  and  the  captain 
gave  him  his  discharge,  and  shipped  another  man  in  his 
place. 

After  the  crew  had  all  had  their  liberty  of  three  days 
each,  we  hove  up  anchor  and  started  for  Honolulu.  Upon 
our  arrival  the  captain  went  on  shore  and  sent  a  lighter 
out  to  us  to  take  the  thirty-five  barrels  of  oil  to  send  home 
to  New  Bedford.  These  so-called  lighters  are  large  boats 
built  on  purpose  to  take  casks  of  oil  from  one  vessel  to 
another,  or  on  shore,  as  many  times  vessels  are  in  port 
waiting  for  a  cargo  of  oil,  and  it  is  very  easy  to  lower  into 
a  lighter  and  take  it  to  them,  when  they  hoist  it  on  board 
and  away  they  go. 

After  discharging  we  started  for  Kodiak,  on  the  coast  of 
Kamschatka,  in  the  northwest  part  of  Alaska. 

We  cruised  in  company  with  several  other  vessels  about 
three  weeks,  all  the  time  being  in  sight  of  Mount  St.  Elias. 
We  saw  whales  several  times,  but  owing  to  heavy  weather 
and  they  being  to  the  windward  we  were  unable  to  get  any. 

While  cruising  around  a  dead  right  whale  was  sighted. 
We  lowered  for  him  and  took  him  alongside,  and  while 
cutting  him  in  we  found  a  harpoon  in  his  blubber  marked 
Montezuma  (all  whalers  mark  the  name  of  their  vessel  on 
the  harpoon,  so  if  found,  those  finding  it  will  know  what 
vessel  had  owned  it,  as  they  would  be  considered  the  owners 
of  the  whale  should  they  come  across  him),  and  he  proved 
quite  a  valuable  find  by  stowing  down  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  barrels  of  oil  and  fifteen  hundred  pounds  of  bone, 
without  the  trouble  of  chasing  and  killing  him,  which 
might  have  proved  disastrous  to  us,  as  he  must  have  been 
a  tough  one,  on  account  of  being  struck  already  by  the 
Montezuma's  crew  and  then  lost.  No  one  knows  but 
what  he  stove  their  boat   to  pieces,   or  killed  or  maimed 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  25 

some  of  them.      But  be  that  as  it  may,  we  had  him  now  in 
casks  safe  from  harming  anyone. 

After  a  few  days  of  leisure  we  again  sighted  whales ; 
the  boats  were  again  lowered  and  off  we  went,  each  boat 
working  hard  for  the  lead.  Our  boat  was  again  high 
hook,  by  fastening  to  a  large  cow  whale,  which  ran  so  fast 
that  we  were  soon  out  of  sight  of  the  ship  ;  and  as  she 
continued  to  run  it  was  out  of  the  question  to  think  of 
hauling  line  on  her,  and  we  were  getting  further  and 
further  away.  The  mate  deemed  it  advisable  to  cut  the 
line  and  let  her  go,  which  he  did.  After  watching  her  for 
a  few  moments  we  turned  about  and  started  back  in  the 
direction  the  ship  was  in  when  we  saw  her  last.  (I  neglected 
to  say  that  each  of  the  officers  carry  a  small  compass  in  the 
boat,  and  if  there  are  signs  of  being  run  out  of  sight  of  the 
ship,  they  note  the  direction  she  was  in  when  last  seen,  and 
in  a  short  time  we  could  see  her  mastheads.)  We  kept 
on.  When  within  three  miles  of  her  we  ran  across  two 
monster  whales.  We  immediately  gave  chase,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  making  fast  to  one  of  them.  After  running  a 
short  distance  he  slowed  up  and  we  soon  had  our  boat  up 
close  to  him,  when  the  mate  began  to  lance  him  in  good 
shape  and  soon  had  him  spouting  blood  quite  freely  ;  when 
just  as  the  mate  was  nearly  ready  to  back  off,  the  boat 
steerer,  through  carelessness  in  not  dipping  his  steering  oar 
properly,  and  a  large  wave  coming  just  at  the  time,  threw 
the  boat  on  top  of  the  whale  and  capsized  us  all  on  his 
back,  and  it  is  a  miracle  that  any  of  us  lived  to  tell  the  tale, 
as  he  could  have  lashed  us  all  to  pieces  in  a  few  seconds, 
especially  maddened  as  he  was  by  being  struck  with  har- 
poons and  lances  ;  but  strange  to  say  he  merely  settled  in 
the  water  leaving  us  afloat.  And  owing  to  the  water  being 
so  cool,  and  I  had  so  many  clothes  on,  I  went  under  twice 
and  was  going  down  the  third  time,  when  one  of  the  crew 


26  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

reached  out  an  oar  to  me,  which  I  eagerly  grasped  with  all 
the  strength  I  had  left,  and  was  pulled  up  on  the  bottom  of 
the  boat  where  the  others  had  clambered  for  safety.  The 
others  seeing  our  predicament  started  for  us  and  took  us 
to  the  ship,  and  then  put  for  the  whale,  as  the  mate  had 
already  given  him  his  death  wound  before  capsizing. 
They  had  no  trouble  in  securing  him. 

As  soon  as  I  got  on  board  I  hurriedly  made  a  change  of 
clothing,  the  others  following  my  example.  It  was  nearly 
daylight  when  we  got  him  made  fast  alongside,  but  he 
proved  a  good  catch  worthy  of  all  the  trouble  we  had,  as 
he  was  very  large  and  fat.  We  had  just  about  finished 
cutting  him  in  when  a  gale  sprung  up  which  lasted  about 
six  days,  which  made  it  hard  work  to  boil  down,  as  the 
ship  rolled  so  we  could  only  fill  the  pots  about  half  full. 
But  we  finished  at  last,  and  after  cleaning  up  we  found  he 
had  stowed  down  about  three  hundred  barrels  of  oil  and 
three  thousand  pounds  of  bone. 

Whales  were  in  sight  all  the  time  during  the  gale,  but 
it  was  no  use  to  lower  for  them,  because  we  could  not  get 
them  alongside  providing  we  got  one  or  more,  so  no 
attempt  was  made. 

After  the  gale  abated  we  captured  three  large  ones  with- 
out anything  occurring  worthy  of  mention.  After  cutting 
them  in  we  cruised  around  about  three  weeks  without  see- 
ing a  spout  of  any  kind. 

Then  the  captain  concluded  to  run  into  Cook's  Inlet, 
thinking  he  might  find  whales  there.  The  inlet  is  very 
large  and  dotted  with  a  large  number  of  small  islands ;  the 
tide  runs  very  strong.  We  saw  several  whales,  and  struck 
one  but  lost  him.  We  then  ran  further  in  and  anchored. 
The  mate  with  his  boat  crew  (I  being  one)  went  ashore 
on  one  of  the  islands.  We  went  along  a  very  narrow  path, 
in  single  file,  for  a  distance  of  nearly  two  miles,  when  we 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  27 

arrived  in  sight  of  four  or  five  huts  or  shanties,  which 
proved  to  be  an  Esquimaux  fishing  station. 

The  shanties  were  built  of  logs  and  shingled  with  bushes 
scattered  all  over  the  roof.  The  sides  were  about  four  feet 
high,  and  the  top  went  up  to  a  peak  like  an  ordinary 
house,  the  most  noticeable  feature  being  the  inside.  On 
entering  one  of  them  we  found  bare  ground  for  floors  and 
a  fire  built  in  the  center,  with  the  smoke  going  out  through 
the  door  and  between  the  logs.  Inside  were  also  found 
several  mounds  built  for  the  children,  at  least  we  thought 
so,  as  each  of  them  contained  a  child  from  four  to  eight 
years  of  age,  and  to  stand  a  short  distance  away  you  could 
hardly  tell  whether  it  was  a  child  or  a  dog's  head  sticking 
out.  They  seemed  to  enjoy  the  situation  as  well  as  we 
did.  We  traded  hard  bread  with  them  for  salmon,  which 
are  found  in  large  quantities  and  of  unusual  size,  many  of 
them  weighing  twenty  or  more  pounds.  After  getting  a 
quantity  of  them  we  again  returned  to  the  vessel.  While 
on  the  way  back  the  wind  began  to  blow  quite  hard,  and 
by  the  time  we  got  on  board  it  was  nearly  a  gale,  which 
increased  until  it  was  a  regular  hurricane,  the  seas  rolling 
mountains  high.  We  tried  to  heave  in  the  anchor,  but 
as  there  was  so  much  strain  on  it,  it  broke  the  windlass, 
which  caused  all  the  chain  to  run  out  of  the  locker,  and 
all  that  held  was  where  it  was  shackled  around  the  main 
mast. 

And  it  is  a  fact,  yet  many  may  doubt  it,  with  our 
heaviest  anchor  down  weighing  about  twenty-five  hundred 
pounds  and  seven  hundred  and  twenty  feet  of  chain 
attached  to  it,  we  drifted  seventy  miles  to  the  leeward. 
And  as  she  was  drifting  toward  a  lee  shore,  the  captain 
ordered  the  royal  and  topgallant  yards  and  then  the  top- 
gallant masts  sent  down,  which  was  very  dangerous  work  at 
such  a  time.     This  was  done  on  account  of  their  holding 


28  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

so  much  wind  aloft.  The  next  order  was  to  reef  the  top- 
sails and  set  them.  He  then  ordered  the  cable  slipped, 
which  meant  the  loss  of  the  anchor  and  all  the  chain 
attached  to  it.  But  he  was  looking  for  the  safety  of  the 
ship  and  crew,  and  would  willingly  sacrifice  a  large  num- 
ber of  them  if  found  necessary  to  do  so,  to  ensure  the  safety 
of  the  vessel. 

By  slipping  the  cable  as  we  did  was  the  means  of  saving 
our  lives  and  the  ship  as  well,  as  she  barely  escaped  the 
breakers.  Had  she  once  got  into  them  it  would  have 
crushed  her  as  quickly  as  you  could  a  blown  eggshell  by 
stepping  on  it.  After  clearing  the  point  we  had  plenty  of 
sea  room,  and  the  captain  ordered  the  vessel  laid  to,  which 
was  done,  and  she  rode  out  the  balance  of  the  gale  admir- 
ably, after  which  we  had  better  weather. 

As  it  was  now  nearing  the  close  of  the  season  of  1858,  the 
captain  concluded  to  make  for  the  Sandwich  Islands.  About 
four  days  before  our  arrival  we  sighted  a  school  of  sperm 
whales.  The  boats  were  lowered,  and  each  of  the  four 
succeeded  in  capturing  one.  We  took  them  alongside, 
and  cut  them  in,  when  we  again  had  plenty  of  work,  as  it 
is  a  case  of  little  sleep  and  plenty  of  work  while  trying  out 
whale.  The  crew  generally  get  about  six  hours'  sleep  in 
twenty-four,  until  the  blubber  is  all  tried  out.  After  cut- 
ting them  in  we  proceeded  again  on  our  course,  and  soon 
arrived  at  Mahe,  and  for  fully  twenty-four  hours  after 
anchoring  we  were  engaged  in  trying  out,  the  four  stowing 
down  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  barrels.  We  then 
hauled  alongside  of  the  merchant  ship  Yorick,  of  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  and  put  all  our  oil  and  bone  on  board  of 
her  to  send  to  New  Bedford.  After  completing  the  task 
of  discharging  our  oil  the  crew  were  again  given  liberty. 
The  captain  discharged  the  second  and  third  mates  and 
shipped  others  in  their  places. 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  20, 

From  there  we  sailed  for  the  South  Sea  Islands,  south 
of  the  equator.  We  first  sighted  the  Caroline  Islands. 
We  went  ashore  and  traded  hard  bread,  cloth  and  other 
things  (the  captains  of  whalers  usually  carry  articles  to 
trade  with  the  natives)  with  the  natives,  for  cocoanuts, 
pigs,  chickens  and  other  eatables.  We  cruised  among  the 
islands  for  a  period  of  three  months,  going  ashore  on  several 
of  them,  but  not  getting  any  whales  during  the  time.  We 
then  sailed  for  the  Marquesas  group.  Seeing  two  whalers 
at  anchor  in  Magdalena  Bay  we  ran  in  and  came  to  an 
anchor. 

We  then  took  on  wood  and  water.  The  island  at  this 
time  being  inhabited  by  cannibals  (wild  Kanakas),  we 
traded  old  boats  to  them  for  wood  and  let  them  use  the 
ship's  axes  to  cut  it  with.  While  cutting  wood  for  us,  one 
of  the  natives,  not  being  skilled  in  the  art,  cut  his  leg 
just  above  the  ankle.  In  seeing  one  of  their  friends  badly 
hurt  they  all  clustered  around  him.  Several  began  rub- 
bing his  leg  as  hard  as  they  could  from  the  knee  down, 
which  caused  the  man  to  bleed  to  death  in  a  very  short 
time.  While  rubbing  his  leg  his  comrades  wrere  calling 
him  a  great  brave  in  their  own  tongue. 

After  he  was  dead  they  placed  him  in  a  sitting  position, 
placed  his  old  flint-lock  gun  (traded  for  with  some  whale- 
ship)  between  his  knees  with  his  hands  grasping  it.  A 
woman  then  sat  down  beside  him,  and  began  fanning  him 
to  keep  the  flies  away. 

We  stayed  there  about  three  weeks,  and  when  we  left  he 
was  still  in  the  same  position,  and  how  much  longer  he 
sat  there  I  am  unable  to  say.  When  we  left  he  was  all 
bloated  almost  out  of  recognition. 

While  we  were  there  the  ship  Europa  and  barque 
Nerva  were  in  for  wood  and  water,  and  for  some  reason 
the  natives  seized  the  boat  belonging  to  the  Europa  and 


30  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

refused  to  give  it  up.  The  three  captains  held  a  consul- 
tation on  the  subject  and  concluded  to  fire  on  the  town. 
Accordingly  our  ship,  the  Marcia,  was  hauled  in  shore  as 
close  as  was  deemed  advisable  ;  we  then  put  springs  on  our 
cable  fore  and  aft  to  hold  her  in  position.  We  then  got 
our  old  cannon  from  the  hold  and  loaded  her,  putting  in 
old  nails,  spikes,  bits  of  iron,  in  fact,  anything  that  would 
do  any  damage,  and  let  her  go.  We  fired,  I  should  judge, 
about  fifty  times,  when  the  old  chief  was  seen  coming 
off  to  us  in  his  canoe.  We  ceased  firing  and  he  came  on 
board,  and  as  soon  as  he  stepped  on  deck  we  seized  and 
held  him  until  the  boat  was  delivered  up  to  the  owners. 
A  Kanaka  that  was  on  board  was  dispatched  on  shore  to 
tell  the  natives  of  the  situation,  and  very  soon  the  boat 
was  seen  making  for  the  Europa.  After  she  was  delivered 
we  let  the  old  chief  go,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  well  away 
from  the  ship  we  hove  up  anchor  and  left,  not  daring  to 
stay  there  any  longer,  not  knowing  what  the  natives  might 
do.  We  started  for  Revolution  Bay.  This  bay  is  in  the 
Island  of  Wacohoo,  one  of  the  same  group.  Here  again 
we  had  liberty,  the  captain  giving  us  cloth,  flints  and 
other  things  to  trade  instead  of  money,  as  the  natives 
there  had  no  use  for  money.  While  some  were  on  shore 
others  were  painting  the  ship  and  making  other  necessary 
repairs. 

Albicores  and  skipjacks  are  very  abundant  among  these 
islands,  and  we  would  catch  a  number  of  large  ones  and 
salt  them  down.  It  is  good  sport  catching  them.  All  you 
want  is  a  piece  of  strong  wire  bent  in  the  shape  of  a 
hook.  Tie  a  white  rag  to  it  and  drop  it  overboard.  It 
hardly  touches  the  water  before  they  grab  it.  As  they 
usually  swim  along  close  to  the  top  of  the  water  they  are 
on  the  lookout  for  something  to  eat.  Many  of  them  are 
very    large,    weighing    fifty   or    more    pounds.       I   should 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  3  I 

judge  their  flesh  is  far  superior  to  our  native  cod.  And 
again  another  dish  that  sharpens  the  appetite  of  a  sailor 
is  porpoise  balls.  When  the  lookout  at  masthead  cries 
out  porpoises,  right  under  you  will  see  an  officer  or  boat 
steerer  grab  a  harpoon  and  make  it  fast  to  the  jib  down- 
haul,  or  any  rope  handy,  and  climb  out  on  the  martingale 
(the  span  chains  under  the  jib  boom)  and  wait  for  a  good 
opportunity.  As  soon  as  it  presents  itself  he  lets  go  at 
once,  and  if  fortunate  enough  to  strike  him  the  crew  soon 
have  him  on  deck,  when  he  is  easily  killed  and  hung  in 
the  rigging,  where  the  cook  can  get  at  him.  The  cook 
usually  cuts  off  a  large  quantity  of  the  best  part  of  him, 
and  after  chopping  it  quite  fine,  seasons  it  well  and  rolls 
it  up  in  balls  (like  fish  balls),  and  bakes  or  fries  them, 
and  they  are  very  palatable,  and  I  would  not  mind  having 
some  for  my  breakfast  in  the  morning. 

While  the  ship  was  at  anchor  here  I  and  one  other  of 
the  crew  and  one  from  another  whaler  took  leg-bail  for 
the  mountains,  not  caring  to  stay  aboard  any  longer.  The 
natives  soon  got  after  us,  setting  the  tall  dry  grass  on  fire 
to  drive  us  out,  thinking  we  were  in  among  it,  but  were 
unsuccessful  in  dislodging  us,  as  we  were  not  there.  We 
remained  in  the  mountains  two  days  and  nights,  when  we 
went  to  another  village  about  ten  miles  from  where  our 
ship  was  anchored.  On  arriving  at  the  village  we  saw 
only  two  men,  but  there  were  quite  a  number  of  women. 
They  acted  as  though  they  were  pleased  to  see  us,  and 
would  jabber  to  each  other,  probably  wondering  where  we 
came  from.  Presently  I  noticed  the  two  men  talking 
quite  earnestly,  and  occasionally  looking  in  the  direction 
we  had  come,  and  shortly  after  they  went  to  the  shore  and 
started  off  in  a  canoe.  I  was  suspicious  at  once,  and  made 
up  my  mind  that  they  were  on  the  way  to  inform  our 
captain  about  us  and  get  a  reward.     I  spoke  to  my  com- 


Q 
O 

PL, 

Q 

U4 
03 

UJ 

Z 

o 
z 

> 

< 

-J 
< 

G 

ex 
< 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  33 

panions  about  it,  but  they  only  laughed  at  my  fears, 
saying,  "  Don't  fear;  they  will  never  blow  on  us;  we  are 
all  right  now."  The  more  I  thought  of  it  the  more 
determined  I  was  that  I  was  right,  and  as  it  was  nearly 
time  for  the  boat  to  return,  if  such  was  the  case,  I  told 
my  companions  I  was  going  up  to  the  water  hole,  where 
we  drank  on  our  way  down,  to  get  a  drink,  advising  them 
to  follow  me,  but  they  remained  firm  and  I  went  alone. 
After  quenching  my  thirst,  as  it  was  very  hot  then  (and 
anyone  not  used  to  the  climate  wants  to  drink  all  the 
time),  I  went  higher  up,  probably  three  hundred  yards, 
and  lay  down  where  I  could  watch  the  approach  of  any 
boat.  In  about  an  hour,  I  should  judge,  I  saw  our  ship's 
boat  come  in  and  take  my  companions  back  to  the  ship, 
just  as  I  thought  they  would.  I  lay  very  quiet,  and  soon 
heard  the  two  natives  hunting  for  me  with  a  dog.  He 
came  quite  close  several  times,  so  near,  in  fact,  that  I  could 
hear  him  sniff,  sniff,  trying  to  smell  me  out.  But  not 
finding  me  they  soon  gave  it  up.  The  sun  was  scorching 
hot,  and  how  I  stood  it  I  don't  know;  but  as  soon  as 
darkness  settled  over  the  island  I  again  went  to  the  water 
hole  and  quenched  my  thirst.  And  after  the  intense  heat 
of  the  day  it  is  a  wonder  I  was  not  sick  from  drinking  so 
much.  After  satisfying  my  thirst  I  started  up  the  moun- 
tain and  down  the  other  side,  and  as  I  noticed  a  sort  of 
cave  I  crawled  in  and  slept  through  the  remainder  of  the 
night.  I  do  not  know  how  large  it  was  or  whether  there 
was  anything  in  it,  as  I  did  not  explore  it,  but  left  as  soon 
as  daylight  broke.  While  wandering  along  I  espied 
several  cocoanut  trees,  whereupon  I  decided  to  climb  one 
and  get  some  of  them.  A  cocoanut  tree  is  not  a  very 
easy  tree  to  climb,  as  there  are  no  branches  to  take  hold 
of,  all  the  foliage  being  in  a  bunch  at  the  top.  But  I 
succeeded   in   climbing   one    and    gathered   several   of    the 


34  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

nuts,  which,  in  my  hungry  state,  were  very  delicious.  After 
I  finished  eating  them  I  went  a  short  distance,  and  again 
lay  down  out  of  sight  in  the  tall  grass.  And  very  soon  I 
heard  two  distinct  voices,  which  I  concluded  were  from 
two  or  more  of  the  natives  looking  for  me.  (I  remained 
very  quiet  and  the  sound  soon  ceased.)  I  remained  very 
quiet  and  shady  until  after  dark,  when  I  started  towards 
the  village  where  we  came  ashore.  The  ship  was  still 
at  anchor  off  shore.  I  made 
friends  with  the  king,  who  hid 
me  until  the  vessel  sailed  ;  but 
as  she  sailed  the  next  morning 
I  was  not  put  to  much  incon- 
venience. In  order  to  insure 
my  safety  the  king  had  one  of 
his  underchiefs  put  their  sacred 
mark  on  my  arm  between  the 
wrist  and  elbow,  which  is 
called  a  taboo.  Anyone  with 
this  mark  on  him  is  safe  on 
any  of  these  islands.  It  is  a 
very  queer  looking  insignia,  Q-^TV\  WROO.^ 
and    I    never    could   form   any  *--^»    *» 

idea  what  it  represented.  It  is  pricked  in  with  sharks  or 
some  other  kind  of  teeth  in  a  very  crude  manner,  and  is 
not  much  of  a  treat  to  sit  and  have  it  done ;  but  if  it  was  to 
be  the  means  of  my  safety  I  would  not  object  to  having 
it  done,  and  as  I  was  in  their  power  I  could  not  help 
myself  anyway,  for  if  they  took  the  notion  they  would 
have  tattoed  me  all  over,  as  most  of  the  natives  are 
covered  with  marks  hard  to  distinguish,  yet  they  answer 
just  as  well  for  them.  Their  style  of  dress  is  generally 
unique,  being  merely  a  strip  of  bark  soaked  in  water  and 
pounded   until   it   is   nearly  as  tough  as  leather.     This  is 


CAPT.  THOS.  CRAPO  AND  WIFE.  35 

called  a  tapper,  and  is  worn  around  the  loins,  the  rest  of 
their  body  usually  being  naked.  Some  of  them  trade 
with  vessels  and  get  clothes.  Captains  usually  carry  a 
supply  of  old  clothes  on  purpose  to  trade  ;  old-fashioned 
coats,  vests,  pants,  and  old-style  hats,  including  beavers, 
are  a  novelty  among  them.  And  to  see  the  way  some  of 
them  put  them  on  would  make  you  split  your  sides  laugh- 
ing. I  have  seen  the  old  king  make  quite  a  number  of 
changes  in  one  day,  and  would  only  wear  one  article  at  a 
time.  To  see  them  with  pants  on  and  nothing  else  does 
not  look  so  queer,  but  when  they  put  on  a  vest  or  coat 
or  an  old  beaver  hat  they  do  look  comical  enough.  Just 
imagine  to  yourself  how  it  would  seem  to  you  to  walk 
along  the  street  and  meet  a  man  all  tattooed  with  India 
ink,  with  a  strip  about  the  loins  and  an  old  high  hat  on 
his  head,  bracing  back  as  though  he  owned  the  world, 
and  after  passing  him  meet  another  naked  all  but  the 
strip  and  an  old  coat,  and  another  with  an  old  vest.  I 
was  with  them  three  months,  and  soon  learned  to  talk 
quite  well,  yet  I  had  to  laugh  whenever  I  came  across 
them  dressed  up.  Again,  many  of  them  shave  one  side 
of  the  face  and  let  the  beard  grow  on  the  other,  which  is 
the  most  comical  part  of  it  all. 

Their  food  consists  chiefly  of  what  is  called  poi,  yet  pigs 
and  chickens  are  quite  abundant. 

Poi  is  made  from  breadfruit  baked  on  hot  stones  and 
covered  with  ashes.  When  done  the  outside  is  taken  off, 
when  the  fruit  is  pounded  up  fine  and  mixed  with  water, 
which  forms  a  dough.  It  is  then  laid  away  in  a  trough 
or  hollow  stone  to  sour,  as  the  more  sour  it  gets  the  better 
they  like  it.  They  then  pound  up  a  cocoanut  and  squeeze 
it  through  the  husk,  which  forms  a  cream.  When  the  poi 
is  sour  enough  they  sit  down  and  put  two  fingers  in  the 
dough,  then  in  the  cream,  then  into  their  mouths.     I  was 


36  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

not  used  to  eating  that  way,  but  of  course  I  had  to  follow 
suit.  The  poi  as  they  ate  it  was  too  sour  for  me,  so  I 
made  a  fresh  supply  for  myself  as  often  as  I  chose. 

The  natives  were  at  war  with  each  other  while  I  was 
there,  and  it  would  make  one  laugh  to  see  them  get  up 
on  the  mountains  a  mile  or  more  apart,  and  blaze  away 
with  their  old  flint-lock  muskets ;  and  they  would  continue 
in  this  manner  until  one  or  more  is  killed  or  wounded, 
when  peace  is  again  declared.     This  was  in  the  year  1858. 

I  had  been  on  the  island  three  months  when  the  barque 
Greyhound,  of  Westport,  Mass.,  under  command  of  Cap- 
tain Cathcart  of  Nantucket,  touched  there,  and  wanted  me 
to  go  with  him.  And  I  was  anxious  to  go,  but  the  old  king 
would  not  have  it ;  he  wanted  me  to  stay  with  him.  I  was 
tired  of  their  mode  of  life,  as  I  could  not  write  to  my 
parents  or  friends,  and  they  of  course  would  not  know 
whether  I  was  living  or  dead ;  so  I  meant  to  join  the 
Greyhound,  if  possible.  At  last,  after  considerable  par- 
leying, Captain  Cathcart  offered  the  old  king  some  paint, 
paint  oil,  hard  bread,  and  lead  to  make  bullets  of  and  a 
mold  to  make  them  in.  This  touched  a  tender  spot,  and 
the  king  consented  to  let  me  go. 

I  lost  no  time  in  getting  ready,  as  I  did  not  know 
whether  the  king  would  change  his  mind  or  not,  and  I 
did  not  feel  safe  until  I  was  on  board  ;  and  as  soon  as 
I  and  the  captain  arrived  on  board  he  squared  away  for 
the  coast  of  California,  and  as  she  had  not  anchored  we 
only  had  to  sheet  home  her  sails  and  off  we  went.  We 
cruised  off  Cape  St.  Lucas  for  a  period  of  about  four 
weeks,  but  did  not  see  any  whales.  We  went  on  shore 
in  several  places  and  got  clams  and  mussels  and  other 
shellfish.  We  then  sailed  for  the  Maria  Island,  on  the 
west  coast  of  Mexico.  We  anchored  and  went  on  shore 
for  wood  and  rabbits.     Talk  of  rabbits,  my  friends,  you 


CAPT.  THOS.  CRAPO  AND  WIFE.  37 

never  saw  such  a  sight  in  your  lives  unless  you  have  vis- 
ited   this   island.     They  were   so  thick  when  I  was  there 
that    all  we  had  to  do  was  to  knock  them  right  and  left 
with  sticks  we    carried    for    that    purpose.     Some   people 
will  take  a  gun  and  one  or  more  dogs  and  tramp  all  day 
from    daylight  until    dark,  or    in    snow  sometimes  a  foot 
deep,   and   the  thermometer  many  times  below  zero,  just 
to    get  a  shot   at   one  or  more  of    these    little    inoffensive 
creatures ;   and  yet  here  they  are  as  thick  as  sand  fleas  in 
summer.     We  stopped    the  wholesale    slaughter  after  we 
had  a  large  pile  of  them,  as  we  did  not  want  to  take  the 
lives  of   any  more  than  we  wanted  to  eat.     We  took  on 
board,  I  should  judge,  between  four  and  five  hundred,  and 
we  all  had  a  treat  while  they  lasted.     Their  tender  flesh 
was  a  luxury  we  had  not  dreamed  of  having,  but  with  a 
large  crew  on  board  they  were  soon  gone,  as  none,  to  my 
knowledge,  ever  refused  their  share  when  it  was  sent  for- 
ward to  them.     From  there  we  sailed  for  the  Galapagos 
Islands.      We  cruised  around  a  short  time  without  seeing 
any  whales,  when    the    captain  concluded    to  run    to    the 
island  of  Albimar.      On  arriving  there  we  dropped  anchor. 
After  everything  was    put   in  shape,   about  two  thirds  of 
the  crew  went  ashore,  taking  with  us  boat  sails  to  make 
tents  of  and  water  to  drink  and  cook  with,  as  fresh  water 
cannot    be    found  there.     After   fitting  up  our  temporary 
camp  we  started  for  the  mountains  after  turpin,  which  are 
very  numerous,  and  are  not  found  on  any  other  island  to 
my  knowledge.     Turpin  are  a  species  of  turtle,  the  shell 
being    in    large  checks    like   an    alligator   skin,    and    their 
flesh  is  unsurpassed  as  food  for  soups  and  stews ;   its  equal 
cannot  be  found.     The  liver  is  far  superior  to  any  kind  of 
meat  I  ever  ate.     It  is  as  large  as  a  beef  critter's  (from  a 
large  one),  and  is  many  times  superior  to  it  in  anyway 
you  choose  to  cook  it.     In  order  to  get  them  we  had  to 


38  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

go  high  up  on  the  mountains,  as  that  seems  to  be  their 
roaming  ground.  They  are  black  in  color  and  move  very 
slow.  We  did  not  disturb  the  large  ones,  as  we  would 
have  had  to  kill  and  cut  them  up  and  carry  the  pieces 
down  on  our  backs,  as  many  of  them  will  weigh,  I  should 
think,  nearly  a  half  of  a  ton.  So  we  caught  smaller  ones, 
none  weighing  over  five  or  six  hundred. 

We  went  hunting  them  every  day  for  a  week,  and  as 
they  are  so  clumsy  and  move  so  slow,  made  it  an  easy 
matter  to  capture  them.  We  built  a  pen  to  put  them  in, 
and  while  on  shore  lived  on  them  mostly,  and  used  hard 
bread  from  the  ship  for  soups  and  stews  and  other  ways ; 
the  cook  dished  it  out  to  us.  The  small  ones  we  caught 
we  carried  down  to  camp  on  our  shoulders,  but  we  had 
to  drag  the  larger  ones.  They  are  perfectly  harmless  and 
never  known  to  bite.  We  caught  about  a  hundred  during 
the  time.  At  the  close  of  the  week  we  took  them  on 
board.  Their  weights  would  range  from  about  five  pounds 
to  five  hundred  and  over.  We  put  them  on  deck  and 
between  decks,  and  let  them  crawl  around  as  they  chose. 
It  was  all  of  six  months  before  they  were  all  gone.  I 
never  knew  one  to  eat  or  drink  a  drop  while  they  were 
on  board,  and  yet  they  looked  as  fat  as  a  ball  of  butter 
when  they  were  killed.  I  do  not  know  what  they  live  on 
on  shore,  unless  it  is  grass  and  bushes  or  some  kind  of 
herbage  that  grows  on  the  mountains.  They  surely  do 
not  drink  water,  as  none  is  to  be  found  on  the  island. 
The  island  on  the  lower  portion  is  mostly  pumice  stone, 
grass  being  very  scarce,  unless  in  some  small  spot  by 
itself  close  to  the  edge  of  the  mountains.  From  there 
we  sailed  for  the  coast  of  Ecuador,  humpback  whaling. 
We  mated  with  the  barque  La  Grange,  Captain  Golden, 
of  Providence,  R.  I.  When  vessels  mate  with  each  other 
it  is  an  understanding  between  them  to  unite  together  in 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  39 

securing  whales,  the  oil  to  be  divided  between  them,  no 
matter  which  ship's  boat  gets  the  whale  or  whales.  Many 
times  vessels  meet  at  sea,  and  on  sighting  whales  one  of 
them  will  hoist  the  American  flag  at  the  mizzen  peak, 
and  if  the  captain  of  the  other  vessel  is  agreeable  to  it  he 
will  sanction  his  willingness  to  mate  by  hoisting  his  flag 
at  the  mizzen  peak  also.  Then  all  hands  buckle  to  it  and 
get  as  many  whales  as  they  can. 

We  anchored  about  three  miles  off  shore,  as  humpback 
whales  are  caught  in  shoal  water  close  in  shore,  and  the 
crews  take  the  boats  and  cruise  for  them,  a  lookout  on  the 
ship  signaling  to  them  if  any  are  seen  from  there.  The 
morning  is  the  best  time  to  look  for  them.  It  is  quite  a 
picnic  to  get  fast  to  a  large  bull  humpback,  as  they  run 
very  fast,  and  sometimes  you  would  think  there  was  a  large 
number  of  cats  yowling;  then  it  would  change,  and  one 
would  think  a  herd  of  cattle  were  lowing.  These  are 
called  singers,  and  they  are  well  named.  Humpback 
whales  are  apt  many  times  to  capsize  a  boat,  as  they  are 
supplied  with  large  fins  on  each  side  of  their  bodies,  called 
topsail  yards  by  sailors.  As  soon  as  daylight  breaks  the 
crew  are  on  the  lookout  for  them.  We  got  about  four 
hundred  barrels  all  told,  which,  by  mating,  only  left  us 
about  two  hundred.  And  as  the  season  was  nearly  over 
we  hove  up  anchor  and  sailed  away  for  Tombas,  on  the 
coast  of  Peru  in  South  America.  We  anchored  outside 
and  took  on  a  fresh  supply  of  water  and  sweet  potatoes, 
which  are  raised  in  large  quantities  there,  and  are  generally 
a  grand  treat  for  the  sailors ;  many  of  them  are  eaten  raw. 
After  putting  things  in  shape  we  again  had  liberty,  after 
which  we  again  started  for  the  Callio  ground.  Just  to  the 
south  of  the  Chinchi  Islands  we  cruised,  in  company  with 
nearly  twenty  other  vessels,  for  a  period  of  about  three 
months,  and  only  got  two  small  sperm  whales  during  the 


40  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

time.  While  cruising  there  we  gammed  the  barque 
Cachelot,  A.  Houghton  and  several  other  whalers,  which 
was  a  treat  for  us,  as  it  is  at  all  times.  We  exchanged 
reading  matter  and  had  some  good  singing  and  story 
telling,  and  the  pipes  and  tobacco  were  passed  around 
quite  freely.  The  two  whales  caught  stowed  down  about 
seventy  barrels.  After  storing  our  oil  below  we  bade  our 
friends  good-by  and  good  luck  and  sailed  for  Valparaiso, 
Chili,  and  on  the  passage  stopped  at  the  Island  of  Juan 
Fernandes,  the  well-known  home  of  Robinson  Crusoe  and 
his  man  Friday.  We  laid  off  and  on  three  days,  and  went 
ashore  after  goats,  peaches  and  quinces,  or  anything  we 
could  get  that  was  good  to  eat.  In  the  story  of  Robinson 
Crusoe  we  read  that  his  pets  were  his  goats  and  kids ;  but 
be  that  as  it  may,  one  to  see  the  great  numbers  of  goats 
would  not  doubt  it.  We  also  got  a  large  quantity  of  claw- 
fish  close  in  shore.  These  fish  are  similar  to  our  native 
lobster,  only  they  have  monster  claws,  from  which  they 
derive  their  name.  Their  flesh  or  meat,  as  you  may  call 
it,  is  very  nice,  and  somewhat  better,  I  think,  than  our 
lobster. 

We  also  visited  the  famous  cave,  the  home  of  Robinson 
Crusoe.  This  cave  extends  into  the  bank  forty  or  fifty 
feet,  and  is  about  eight  or  ten  feet  wide  and  about  ten  feet 
high  in  the  center.  While  there  gazing  into  the  cave  my 
mind  reverted  to  the  stories  I  had  read  and  heard  related 
about  this  famous  place  and  its  occupants,  little  dreaming 
that  I  should  ever  see  or  enter  it ;  yet  there  I  was,  and  I 
felt  very  much  pleased  and  grateful  to  our  captain  for 
stopping  and  allowing  us  to  visit  it.  We  then  continued 
on  to  Valparaiso,  six  hundred  miles  away.  On  the  way 
we  sighted  whales,  and  by  lowering  and  working  hard 
succeeded  in  capturing  one,  and  while  cutting  him  in  the 
weather  grew  heavy  and  the  wind  blew  very  hard,  which 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  4 1 

caused  us  to  lose  the  head.  The  carcass  gave  us  about 
eighty  barrels.  On  our  arrival  at  Valparaiso  the  captain 
ordered  the  vessel  on  the  dry  docks,  to  repair  the  copper 
and  make  other  necessary  repairs.  I  got  my  discharge 
there  and  received  my  wages,  which,  if  I  remember  aright, 
was  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents ;  a  large  sum  of  money  for 
all  my  hard  work.  I  remained  ashore  three  or  four  days 
and  then  shipped  again,  this  time  on  the  barque  Cachelot, 
under  command  of  a  Captain  Perry.  So  again  I  found 
myself  afloat  bound  for  the  Callio  grounds.  We  took  with 
us  two  passengers,  an  Englishman  and  his  wife,  a  Chilian, 
whom  we  were  to  land  on  the  Island  of  Juan  Fernandes, 
where  they  intended  to  make  their  home.  And  as  there 
was  only  one  family  of  five  Spanish  people  called  Chilians 
living  there  at  the  time,  I  thought  to  myself  they  would  be 
quite  lonesome  there  with  only  five  white  people  there 
besides  themselves.  After  landing  them  we  proceeded  on 
to  the  whaling  ground.  We  caught  several  whales  during 
the  season  without  any  serious  accident,  only  a  stove  boat 
once  in  a  while ;  in  fact  every  boat  we  had  was  stove 
more  or  less  during  the  time.  We  stowed  down  about 
three  hundred  barrels  of  sperm  oil. 

While  cruising  there  the  ship  Trident  of  New  Bedford, 
under  command  of  Captain  Fisher,  of  Nantucket,  just  out 
from  Callio,  informed  the  captain  that  the  owner  of  the 
Cachelot,  having  sent  another  captain  to  take  command  in 
place  of  Captain  Perry,  he  was  to  land  at  Valparaiso  ;  and 
the  steamer  he  came  on  stopped  at  Callio  for  coal,  and  Cap- 
tain Fisher  of  the  Trident  saw  and  talked  with  him,  and, 
as  was  natural,  asked  him  what  vessel  he  was  after,  and 
was  informed  that  he  was  after  the  Cachelot.  After  re- 
cruiting his  vessel  he  put  to  sea,  and  sighting  us  ran  down 
for  a  gam,  his  main  object  being  to  inform  Captain  Perry 
of  the  object  of  the  arrival  of  the  new  captain.      Our  cap- 


42  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

tain  was  much  pleased  on  account  of  Captain  Fisher  noti- 
fying him  of  the  transaction  about  to  take  place.  So 
instead  of  going  to  Valparaiso  he  ran  into  Callio,  and  sold 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  barrels  of  oil  while  laying  off 
and  on.  We  put  the  oil  on  board  of  lighters  and  towed 
them  nearly  in  shore,  when  we  cast  off  the  lines  and  let 
them  go,  so  the  American  consul  could  not  claim  the  oil. 
We  then  ran  a  little  further  in  and  came  to  an  anchor. 
After  the  sails  were  furled  and  rigging  coiled  up  and  the 
ship  put  in  shape,  the  captain  went  on  shore  and  delivered 
up  his  papers  to  the  American  consul.  That  night  the 
boarding-house  runners  came  on  board  and  coaxed  us  to 
come  to  their  house  to  board.  And  the  whole  crew,  my- 
self included,  agreed  to  go,  which  we  did,  and  in  less  than 
one  week  we  were  all  shanghaied  on  board  of  a  large  mer- 
chant ship  bound  for  Queenstown,  Ireland,  for  orders,  and 
we  soon  were  notified  that  we  were  in  debt  to  the  ship 
seventy-five  dollars.  She  was  the  Francis  A.  Palmer,  of 
New  York,  Captain  Richardson,  and  was  two  thousand 
tons  burthen.  This  was  in  the  year  i860.  Everything 
went  well  until  we  were  about  a  week  out,  when  we  were 
put  on  a  short  allowance  of  food.  We  had  plenty  of  work 
to  do  and  very  little  to  eat.  We  were  loaded  with  Peru- 
vian Guano,  not  a  very  sweet-smelling  cargo.  On  account 
of  the  short  allowance  of  food  I  used  to  go  down  between 
decks  and  steal  hard  bread  and  stow  it  away  in  my  berth  in 
order  to  get  enough  to  eat.  We  were  about  four  months 
and  twenty  days  on  the  passage,  which  was  a  very  rough 
one  all  the  way.  During  the  passage  three  of  our  topsails 
were  blown  clear  from  the  bolt  ropes  ;  this  was  off  the 
Western  Islands.  From  Queenstown  we  were  ordered  to 
London  to  discharge.  After  discharging  the  cargo  we 
were  discharged  ourselves,  receiving  the  munificent  sum  of 
about  twenty-five  dollars  for  all  our  hard  work. 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  43 

I  stayed  in  London  until  my  money  was  gone,  then 
shipped  again  on  the  barque  Charles  Edwin,  Captain 
Littlejohn,  of  Portland,  Me.  We  went  to  the  north  of 
England  to  the  city  of  Shields,  to  load  coal  for  Havana, 
Cuba. 

We  had  a  very  rough  passage,  having  to  lay  the  vessel 
to  several  times.  On  our  arrival  the  crew  had  to  hoist  out 
the  coal  by  hand  in  small  baskets  and  dumped  it  into 
lighters  alongside.  While  discharging  the  coal  the  vessel 
was  chartered  to  load  sugar  at  Cardness  for  New  York. 
After  discharging  the  coal  the  vessel  was  thoroughly 
cleansed  to  receive  the  cargo  of  sugar.  While  at  Cardness 
the  rebel  steamer,  with  the  rebel  commissioners  Mason  and 
Slidell,  arrived. 

This  was  at  the  beginning  of  the  War  of  1861.  There 
were  several  vessels  there  at  the  time  flying  the  Southern 
or  rebel  flag. 

We  finished  loading  and  sailed  for  New  York,  making 
the  passage  in  five  days ;  and  during  the  passage  we  were 
hove  to  in  a  gale  in  the  Gulf  Stream  about  eighteen  hours ; 
this  was  in  the  month  of  November  of  1S61. 

It  was  quite  a  sight  on  our  arrival  to  see  the  outskirts  of 
the  city  covered  with  tents,  and  the  city  was  full  of  sol- 
diers. I  began  to  think  that  the  North  meant  business,  as 
everywhere  I  went  I  was  sure  to  meet  soldiers,  the  city 
being  fairly  alive  with  them. 

I  left  the  vessel  there  and  returned  to  my  home  in  New 
Bedford. 


44  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 


CHAPTER  II. 

AS    A    MAN-O'-WARSMAN    AND    SOLDIER. 

After  having  been  from  home  so  long  I  did  not  feel  at 
all  contented  with  the  slow,  humdrum  life  around  home, 
so  my  stay  was  short,  especially  as  the  war  had  begun  and 
everything  was  excitement  everywhere  ;  so  after  remaining 
at  home  a  few  days,  the  weather  being  very  cold,  as  it  was 
now  December,  I  enlisted  in  Uncle  Sam's  navy  and  was  at 
once  ordered  on  board  the  receiving  ship  Ohio,  at  the 
Charlestown  Navy  Yard,  near  Boston,  and  then  donned  the 
uniform  of  the  man-o'-warsman.  I  remained  on  board  of 
her  for  a  period  of  two  weeks,  when  I  was  transferred  to 
the  receiving  ship  Princeton  at  Philadelphia  ;  about  three 
hundred  others  were  transferred  at  the  same  time. 

We  went  from  Charlestown  to  Philadelphia  on  the 
steamship  Kensington,  and  were  four  days  on  the  passage ; 
the  weather  was  verv  cold  and  it  snowed  most  of  the  time, 
but  we  had  a  very  jolly  crowd  on  board  and  plenty  of  sing- 
ing and  story-telling,  so  we  did  not  heed  the  weather. 

January  the  18th  I  was  again  transferred  to  the  flagship 
Hartford,  she  being  the  flagship  of  Admiral  (at  that  time 
Commodore)  Farragut,  one  of  our  most  brave  and  noted 
commanders  in  the  Union  army  or  navy ;  on  the  20th  of 
the  same  month  we  steamed  down  to  the  powder  station 
and  took  on  powder  and  shell. 

As  soon  as  we  finished  loading  we  started  for  Hampton 
Roads,  at  the  entrance  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay  in  Virginia  ; 
from  there  we  went  to  Hilton  Head,  in  South  Carolina, 
Havana,  Cuba,  Key  West,  Florida,  Ship  Island  ;  and  from 
there  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  River.  After  the 
arrival  of  the  fleet  of  vessels  under  Commodore  Farragut 
we    started    up    the  Mississippi,  the  Hartford    taking    the 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  45 

lead  ;  our  intentions  were  to  make  an  attack  on  forts  Jack- 
son and  St.  Phillips. 

On  arriving  within  a  suitable  distance,  we  began  firing, 
and  kept  up  the  attack  for  six  days  and  nights  without 
cessation,  the  whole  fleet  throwing  about  twenty-eight 
hundred  shells  every  twenty-four  hours,  or  a  total  of  six- 
teen thousand  and  eight  hundred  during  the  time.  Such  a 
sight  and  noise  I  never  saw  nor  heard  before,  and  I  hope  I 
never  shall  see  nor  hear  again.  Shells  were  bursting 
everywhere,  and  the  nights  were  nearly  as  light  as  day 
with  the  quick  succession  of  flashes  from  the  cannons' 
mouths,  and  the  thick  smoke  rolled  away  in  clouds.  It 
was  a  magnificent  display  of  fire,  but  the  danger  coupled 
with  it  left  no  chance  for  anyone  to  stop  to  admire  it,  as 
death  and  destruction  were  in  the  air,  and  none  of  us  knew 
when  a  stray  shot  or  shell  would  take  us  from  this  vale  of 
tears  and  launch  us  into  eternity.  We  on  the  Hartford 
were  in  such  a  position  as  to  be  unable  to  use  any  of  our 
guns  except  our  large  Dahlgreen,  or  bow  gun,  as  it  was 
called,  as  none  of  the  others  could  be  used  with  any  effect, 
yet  our  broadside  guns  were  loaded  and  manned  ready  to 
fire  as  an  opportunity  offered. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  24th  of  April 
we  were  ordered  to  get  under  weigh  to  pass  the  forts. 
We  were  all  ordered  to  lie  down  flat  on  deck  out  of  sight 
of  the  enemy,  and  at  the  command  to  rise  and  fire,  and  to 
load  and  fire  as  often  as  possible  until  told  to  stop  ;  at  the 
command  to  fire  it  was  meant  for  our  whole  broadside  to 
blaze  away. 

When  the  broadsides  of  the  fleet  rang  out  on  the  air  it 
was  enough  to  fairly  burst  the  drums  in  a  person's  ears; 
the  flash,  flash  from  the  muzzles  of  the  guns  were  almost 
enough  to  blind  or  dazzle  one's  eyes;  and  the  continuous 
bursting  of  shells,  and  the  whistle  and  swish,  swish  of  the 


46  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

chain  shot,  fired  to  cut  our  rigging  and  hulls  to  pieces, 
gave  none  of  us  a  chance  to  stop  to  think  or  collect  our 
thoughts ;  everything  was  bustle  and  commotion,  and 
everybody  acted  as  though  they  thought  everything  at  that 
time  depended  on  them.  The  sight  was  indeed  appalling, 
and  any  of  the  persons  that  took  part  in  it  will  surely 
remember  it  to  their  dying  day.  Ofttimes  as  my  mind 
reverts  to  it  I  seem  to  almost  see  and  hear  it  over  again. 

During  the  attack  the  rebels  were  launching  large  fire- 
rafts  from  different  points  and  would  start  them  so  they 
would  be  pretty  sure  to  run  into  the  fleet  attacking  the 
forts,  several  of  the  fleet  got  on  fire  from  them,  but  the 
flames  were  soon  extinguished.  One  of  them  was  drifting 
direct  towards  us,  and  we  tried  hard  to  clear  it ;  our  helm 
was  put  hard  aport  to  try  and  run  clear  from  it,  and  by 
doing  so  we  struck  on  a  shoal  and  immediately  came  to  a 
standstill,  which  put  us  in  a  bad  way,  as  the  raft  lay  on 
our  port  side  and  threatened  to  destroy  us  by  setting  our 
vessel  on  fire.  We  fired  a  whole  broadside  at  it  to  try  and 
sink  it  if  possible,  but  could  not  do  so.  Our  rigging  was  on 
fire  at  this  time,  as  the  fire-raft  lay  close  to  us  and  hugged 
the  side  of  our  vessel  with  a  determination  to  stay  until  we 
were  destroyed,  but  we  were  not  so  easily  destroyed  ;  we 
fought  the  flames  with  a  desperate  will  to  outdo  the  rebels, 
but  it  was  hot  work,  yet  we  held  to  it  to  the  last,  and  at 
last  succeeded. 

The  Commodore  paced  the  poop  deck  as  unconcerned 
as  though  nothing  had  happened,  but  would  occasionally 
cast  a  glance  up  at  the  flames  which  had  started  up  our 
rigging.  He  seemed  as  cool  and  collected  as  though  he 
was  taking  a  stroll  on  a  beautiful  May  morning,  and 
showed  himself  to  be  the  brave  commander  he  really  was. 

We  at  last  succeeded  in  backing  the  vessel  off,  and  the 
fire-raft  was  set  adrift.      Our  loss  during  the  attack  on  the 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  47 

forts  was  three  killed  and  ten  wounded,  with  thirty-two 
shots  in  our  hull  and  rigging.  We  continued  on  to  quar- 
antine to  bury  our  dead ;  we  then  steamed  up  the  river 
towards  New  Orleans ;  when  about  eight  miles  below  the 
Chalmette  batteries  opened  fire  upon  us,  and  we  could  only 
return  the  fire  with  our  bow  gun.  We  lost  one  man. 
The  river  was  full  of  fire-rafts,  but  we  ran  clear  of  them 
all,  and  ran  in  and  anchored  off  abreast  of  New  Orleans, 
where  we  remained  until  the  arrival  of  General  Butler's 
command. 

The  city  was  in  an  uproar  on  our  arrival,  and  the 
wharves  were  thronged  with  people.  Two  officers  were 
dispatched  on  shore  to  demand  of  the  mayor  the  surrender 
of  the  city.  They  went  on  their  perilous  expedition  with- 
out an  escort,  and  as  they  arrived  in  their  boat  alongside 
of  the  pier  they  found  that  they  would  have  to  fairly 
squeeze  their  way  through  the  crowd  collected  there. 
Nothing  daunted,  however,  they  clambered  upon  the  wharf, 
and  on  glancing  right  and  left  saw  that  all  the  slum  and 
dissipated  men  and  women,  as  well  as  the  well  to  do,  were 
gathered  there,  plainly  showing  by  their  looks  and  actions 
their  hatred  for  the  Yankees.  As  soon  as  the  crowd  saw 
them  step  on  shore  they  hooted  and  hissed  like  maniacs, 
and  such  a  discord  of  voices  as  was  heard  was  enough  to 
make  a  brave  man  quail. 

As  the  officers  stepped  on  the  shore  they  demanded  of 
the  crowd  to  know  where  the  mayor  lived  or  could  be 
found.  At  this  the  crowd  broke  out  afresh,  saying  "down 
with  the  Yankees,"  "shoot  them,"  "hang  them  to  a  lamp 
post,"  and  so  on,  but  no  one  offered  the  required  informa- 
tion, and  they  proceeded  in  elbowing  their  way  through 
the  infuriated  mob  of  human  beings. 

We  could  see  them  from  the  vessel,  and  saw  that  they 
were  not  molested,  but  soon  they  disappeared  from  view. 


48  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

None  of  us  could  tell  what  their  fate  might  be,  but  our 
guns  were  loaded  with  grape  and  canister  and  manned 
ready  to  open  fire  upon  the  mob  at  the  first  sign  of  any 
attempt  to  disturb  them.  These  two  brave  officers  were 
Captain  Bailey  and  Lieutenant  Perkins.  It  was  a  daring 
deed,  and  we  should  all  be  proud  to  have  such  brave  and 
loyal  heroes  on  our  banner.  Why  they  were  not  attacked 
by  the  frenzied  mob  I  am  unable  to  say,  unless  it  was  the 
brave,  determined  manner  they  stepped  ashore  with. 
After  a  short  stay  on  shore  they  were  again  seen  heading 
towards  their  boat,  and  as  before  had  to  fairly  elbow  their 
way  through  the  mob,  but  as  before  they  were  not  assaulted. 
After  getting  into  their  boat  they  soon  reached  the  vessel, 
and  as  they  stepped  on  board  they  were  met  by  a  crew  of 
brave  men  that  knew  how  to  applaud  a  brave  act,  and  their 
welcome  back  was  a  rousing  cheer  from  the  whole  fleet. 

Shortly  after  their  arrival  on  board  Captain  Charles  H. 
Bell,  with  a  guard  of  marines,  was  ordered  on  shore  with 
two  boat  howitzers.  On  arriving  at  the  pier  they  were 
met  with  the  same  kind  of  reception  as  the  other  officers, 
but  he,  with  his  guards,  made  direct  for  the  State  House. 
On  arriving  there  the  marines  were  drawn  up  into  line, 
with  their  weapons  pointed  at  the  crowd,  with  orders  to 
fire  at  the  first  sign  of  interference.  Captain  Bell  then 
ascended  to  the  roof  of  the  building  and  tore  down  the 
rebel  flag  and  hoisted  in  its    place    the  stars  and  stripes. 

The  crowd  stood  spellbound,  as  though  frozen  to  the 
spot,  and  not  a  voice  was  heard  for  several  minutes  ;  such 
daring  had  completely  taken  their  breath  away.  That 
was  bearding  the  lion  in  his  den  in  earnest. 

And,  strange  to  say,  not  a  shot  was  fired,  which  proved 
beyond  a  doubt  that  such  daring  had  completely  unmanned 
them.  The  captain  and  his  escort  then  marched  to  the 
Custom  House,  where  the  same  performance  was  enacted, 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  49 

the  crowd  eagerly  watching  every  move,  but  not  lifting  so 
much  as  a  finger  to  stop  it.  Every  man  and  boy  on  board 
the  fleet  cheered  lustily  the  brave  acts  of  our  comrades. 
It  was  almost  like  baring  the  breast  to  a  duelist  and 
inviting  him  to  take  your  life.  None  of  us  expected  they 
would  return  alive,  but  with  the  courage  of  a  lion  they 
dared  to  do  or  die,  and  do  it  they  did,  and  they  should 
not  be  forgotten. 

After  hoisting  the  stars  and  stripes  on  the  Custom  House 
Captain  Bell  descended  to  the  ground,  and  with  a  defiant, 
never-to-be-forgotten  look  ordered  the  marines  to  march 
towards  their  boat,  and  they  were  soon  onboard,  the  heroes 
of  the  hour.  Tears  could  be  seen  on  many  faces,  tears  of 
joy  to  welcome  as  comrades  such  daring  heroes. 

Shortly  after  the  fleet  started  up  the  river  toward  Vicks- 
burg.  When  about  eight  miles  above  New  Orleans  went 
ashore  on  the  left  bank  and  spiked  twenty-nine  guns.  We 
were  informed  that  our  fleet  had  sunk  seven  rebel  gun- 
boats in  the  attack  on  Forts  Jackson  and  St.   Phillips. 

We  continued  on  as  far  as  Baton  Rouge,  where  we  took 
on  coal.  While  coaling  up  some  of  our  officers  were 
fired  upon  by  guerrillas,  wounding  one  of  them.  We 
then  fired  four  or  five  shots  into  the  town.  After  coaling 
up  we  proceeded  to  Vicksburg,  and  arrived  there  June 
25th,  1S62,  and  began  bombarding  the  town.  Their 
fortifications  were  spread  all  along  the  hills,  about  fifty 
yards  apart,  and  about  one  and  one-half  miles  in  from  shore 
and  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  up  from  the  level, 
which  made  it  a  very  strong  fortification,  and  was  called 
the  Gibraltar  of  the  West,  and  to  have  seen  it  you  would 
have  said  it  was  rightly  named. 

We  passed  up  very  slowly,  our  steam  being  down  to 
about  eight  pounds.  We  stopped  several  times  on  that 
account.     We  continued-  to  fire  until  ordered  to  stop  ;   one 


50  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

of  our  crew  was  killed  and  eighteen  wounded.     We  con- 
tinued on  and  anchored  among  Admiral  Davis's  fleet. 

While  anchored  there  with  our  fires  down  the  rebel 
ram  Arkansas  ran  the  gauntlet  by  our  fleet,  giving  us 
several  shots  as  a  parting  tribute  of  her  prowess.  By  not 
having  steam  up  we  could  not  pursue  her,  but  we  gave 
her  a  broadside  as  she  passed,  several  shots  taking  effect. 
We  got  ready  that  night  to  pass  the  forts,  and  swung  our 
anchors  at  the  yardarm  to  drop  on  and  grapple  the  ram 
Arkansas  should  we  be  fortunate  enough  to  get  near  her, 
but  she  did  not  make  her  appearance. 

While  abreast  of  Vicksburg  we  were  fired  upon  and  a 
heavy  battle  was  indulged  in.  Shot  and  shell  were  whist- 
ling everywhere,  and  the  flashes  of  the  large  guns  made 
the  night  as  light  as  day.  The  firing  was  continuous. 
George  H.  Loundsberry,  master's  mate,  had  his  head  taken 
clear  from  his  body,  as  though  cut  off  with  a  razor ;  his 
body  fell  to  the  deck,  but  his  head  was  never  found.  Two 
others  were  killed  and  six  wounded  during  the  engagement. 
After  passing  the  Gibraltar,  Vicksburg,  we  continued 
down  the  river.  Arriving  off  Grand  Gulf  we  were  fired 
upon  by  guerrillas,  and  after  we  passed  the  town  was 
burned  by  the  fleet.  The  town  of  Donaldsonville  was  also 
burned. 

We  continued  on  to  New  Orleans,  where  I  left  the 
Hartford  and  took  my  effects  on  shore. 

On  arriving  on  shore  I  enlisted  in  the  First  Louisiana 
Infantry,  under  General  Butler,  many  of  the  regiment 
being  those  formerly  of  the  garrison  in  Forts  Jackson  and 
St.  Phillips,  in  the  rebel  service.  We  were  mustered  into 
service  August  25th,  1862,  and  went  into  camp  at  Camp 
Carney,  to  drill  and  prepare  ourselves  for  battle. 

From  there  we  were  ordered  to  Donaldsonville,  about 
eighty  miles  above.     We  remained  there  during  the  winter 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  5 1 

of  1862.  We  built  a  fort  there  and  mounted  eight  guns; 
we  also  dug  a  trench  around  it.  We  named  the  fort  Fort 
Butler.  While  we  were  there  General  Banks  was  sent  to 
relieve  General  Butler.  General  Banks  took  command  of 
the  Nineteenth  Army  Corps. 

In  the  spring  of  1863  we  formed  an  expedition  to  go 
up  the  Red  River.  We  marched  from  Donaldsonville  to 
Brazier  City,  where  we  boarded  transports  and  went  across 
the  lake  and  landed  at  a  place  called  Irish  Bend,  in  Louis- 
iana, where  we  had  a  battle,  our  major  being  the  first  one 
wounded.  The  fight  lasted  four  or  five  hours,  and  bullets 
flew  thick  and  fast  during  the  time. 

I  do  not  remember  how  many  were  killed  and  wounded, 
but  the  number  was  large.  In  the  afternoon  the  rebels 
retreated  ;  we  followed  along  the  river  where  they  had  a 
gunboat  named  the  Cotton,  and  for  fear  she  would  fall 
into  our  hands  they  set  her  on  fire  and  blew  her  up. 

We  kept  on  towards  Alexandria,  driving  the  rebels  ahead 
of  us  all  the  way.  We  marched  through  the  day  and 
went  into  camp  at  night,  when  pickets  would  be  posted, 
and  our  guns  stacked  handy  to  reach  in  case  of  necessity, 
then  we  would  be  off  for  fence  rails  to  sleep  on  and  make 
fires  with.  After  supper  was  over  we  would  start  out 
foraging  for  something  good  for  breakfast.  One  place  we 
came  across  we  saw  about  twenty  cattle  in  a  barn-yard, 
and  before  daylight  every  one  of  them  was  killed  and 
dressed  ready  to  cook  for  breakfast.  The  owner  of  them 
was  so  dumbfounded,  when  he  arose  in  the  morning,  he 
could  hardly  speak,  but  cried  like  a  child.  It  was  hard 
to  see  a  strong  man  crying,  but  we  had  about  eighteen 
thousand  hungry  men  to  feed,  and  it  took  considerable  to 
do  it.  We  would  take  anything  we  came  across,  pigs, 
chickens,  ducks,  goats,  or  anything  eatable,  potatoes,  cab- 
bages, turnips,  corn,  or  anything  we  wanted. 


52  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

The  next  morning  we  again  set  out,  and  after  marching 
all  day  we  camped  about  sundown.  Several  of  us  went  to 
a  planter's  house,  and  seeing  a  flock  of  geese  in  the  yard 
I  asked  the  owner  for  one,  which  he  indignantly  refused  ; 
whereupon  1  shot  one  of  them  and  picked  him  up  and 
started  off  with  him.  He  stood  and  looked  hard  at  me, 
but  didn't  open  his  mouth.  I  don't  know  how  many 
geese  he  had  left  in  the  morning,  but  I  don't  believe  he 
had  any,  for  as  soon  as  the  boys  saw  them  they  would 
want  and  would  have  them.  The  last  of  that  night  fin- 
ished up  our  foraging  on  that  trip,  as  we  reached  Alex- 
andria. 

We  remained  there  about  four  days  and  started  towards 
Shreveport.  We  had  tramped  about  twelve  miles  west 
of  Alexandria,  when  we  picked  up  a  quantity  of  cotton 
which  we  seized.  We  then  returned  over  the  same  route 
until  within  a  few  miles  of  the  Mississippi  River,  when  we 
took  transports  and  went  down  the  Red  River  about  twelve 
miles ;  when  we  reached  the  Mississippi,  went  down  a 
short  distance  and  landed.  When  within  about  twelve 
miles  of  Port  Hudson,  we  dug  trenches  for  a  distance  of 
about  eight  miles  and  laid   siege  to  the  city. 

My  readers  may  think  it  strange  that  we  should  march 
in  such  a  roundabout  way,  but  our  object  was  to  draw  the 
troops  and  forces  away  from  Port  Hudson,  so  we  would 
have  an  easier  victory  over  them  and  take  the  place  from 
them.  We  practiced  all  the  tricks  we  (our  commander) 
could  think  of  to  draw  their  attention  from  our  object, 
as  skillful  manceuvering  was  better  than  bloodshed.  On 
the  27th  of  June,  1863,  we  made  a  charge  upon  Port 
Hudson,  and  we  found  them  better  fortified  than  we  an- 
ticipated. They  had  cut  down  all  the  trees  around  their 
stronghold,  which  made  it  hard  work  for  us,  as  we  had 
to  climb  over  the  fallen  trees,  as  they  had  been  left  just 


CAPT.  THOS.  CRAPO  AND  WIFE.  53 

as  they  fell,  and  as  fast  as  we  undertook  to  charge  upon 
them  we  were  repulsed,  losing  heavily.  As  fast  as  any 
of  our  boys  showed  themselves  their  sharpshooters  would 
pick  them  off,  and  we  soon  found  that  in  order  to  keep 
from  being  utterly  wiped  out  was  to  drop  behind  the  fallen 
trees  and  lie  there  out  of  sight,  which  we  did,  as  it  was  no 
use  to  throw  our  lives  away,  for  nothing  could  be  gained 
by  so  doing. 

It  must  have  been  a  queer  sight  to  them  to  see  us  crawl- 
ing and  scrambling  over  trees  and  branches  and  stumps, 
trying  to  get  near  to  them.  We  lay  where  we  dropped 
until  after  dark,  when  we  crawled  back  to  Our  trenches. 
Our  colonel  was  killed  in  the  engagement  and  our  total 
loss  was  three  or  four  thousand.  I  was  fortunate  in  not 
receiving  a  scratch,  yet  the  boys  were  falling  all  around 
me,  as  the  bullets  flew  like  hailstones.  It  is  not  a  pleasant 
thing  to  see  your  comrades  dropping  all  around  you,  many 
of  them  dead  before  striking  the  ground,  and  none  of  us 
knew  but  our  turn  would  come  next.  Yet  we  undaunt- 
edly kept  up  the  siege,  with  more  or  less  shots  exchanged, 
until  the  8th  of  July,  when  they  surrendered  to  us.  This 
surrender  was  to  General  Banks,  the  commander  of  our 
Corps. 

While  we  held  siege  over  Port  Hudson  the  rebels  from 
Texas  made  an  attack  upon  Fort  Butler  at  Donaldsonville. 
Upon  being  informed  about  it  we  boarded  transports  and 
went  there  and  landed  and  marched  on  to  bayou  La 
Flusch,  four  miles  below,  and  went  into  camp  ;  and  the 
following  afternoon  the  rebs  made  an  attack  upon  us  at  a 
place  called  Coxes  Plantation.  The  rebels  meant  business 
and  intended  to  rout  us ;  several  of  our  command  were 
killed  and  wounded  ;  as  they  pressed  us  so  hard  we  re- 
treated toward  Donaldsonville.  The  rebs,  thinking  wre 
were   drawing    them   into   a   trap,   and    not    caring    to    be 


54  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

hemmed  in,  they  left  for  Texas  again.  They  did  not 
know  that  Port  Hudson  had  surrendered,  and,  as  Vicks- 
burg  was  sieged  at  the  time  Port  Hudson  was  taken,  was 
the  means  of  cutting  off  all  chances  for  supplies ;  so,  on 
account  of  this,  they  surrendered  to  us,  but  they  were 
stubborn  and  held  out  as  long  as  they  could. 

After  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg  we  went  into  camp, 
and  while  we  were  camped  there  we  made  several  runs  up 
the  Mississippi  River  on  transports,  the  army  going  into 
quarters  in  several  places  in  Louisiana. 

We  remained  near  Donaldsonville  until  the  spring  of 
1864,  acting  as  garrison  for  Fort  Butler. 

The  second  Red  River  campaign  was  started  under 
General  Banks,  and  we  were  relieved  by  a  colored  com- 
pany, so  we  left  for  Brazier  City  to  join  our  troops.  We 
took  transports  to  cross  the  river,  and  then  took  up  the 
line  of  march  towards  Alexandria.  We  marched  about 
twelve  miles  a  day  and  went  into  camp  at  night,  and  each 
night  on  the  line  of  march  the  planters  were  minus  pigs, 
chickens,  ducks  and  other  eatables. 

The  fleet  of  gunboats  were  following  up  the  river  while 
we  were  marching  on  land.  We  at  last  arrived  in  Alex- 
andria all  right,  and  after  a  short  stay  we  started  again 
towards  Shreveport.  About  twelve  miles  from  Grandico, 
at  a  place  called  Pleasant  Hill,  we  had  a  heavy  battle  and 
got  badly  whipped.  We  lost  all  of  our  artillery  and  am- 
munition train  with  provisions,  besides  small  arms.  A 
great  many  were  killed  and  wounded  and  taken  prisoners. 
Towards  night  the  firing  ceased  and  we  went  into  camp. 

In  the  night  we  were  reinforced  with  about  fifteen 
thousand  men,  under  command  of  Major  A.  J.  Smith  of 
the  Thirteenth  Army  Corps. 

The  next  morning  the  rebs  made  another  attack  on  us. 
They  little  dreamed  what  a  reception  they  would  receive 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  55 

from  us,  through  being  reinforced  during  the  night.  But 
they  were  not  long  kept  in  suspense  as  we  whipped  them 
far  worse  than  they  did  us.  We  mowed  them  down  like 
grass  upon  the  farmer's  scythe,  and  they  lost  no  time  in 
retreating,  and  we  were  fortunate  in  recovering  everything 
taken  from  us  during  our  first  engagement  with  them. 
After  completely  routing  them  we  went  back  to  Grandico. 
While  there  we  built  a  fortification  of  logs  for  protection. 

The  water  was  falling  so  fast  in  the  river  the  gunboats 
were  in  danger  of  running  aground,  so  they  retreated 
down  the  river  toward  Alexandria,  the  rebs  firing  at  them 
all  the  way.  We  again  took  up  the  line  of  march.  The 
first  day  we  marched  forty-two  miles  without  a  rest. 
Upon  arriving  at  Alexandria  the  water  was  falling  so  rap- 
idly the  gunboats  could  not  get  over  the  falls,  on  account 
of  which  it  was  decided  to  build  a  dam  in  order  to  keep 
enough  water  above  to  allow  them  to  get  over  the  falls. 
We  built  the  dam,  which  was  a  success,  but  coupled  with 
plenty  of  hard  work.  We  built  the  dam  in  eight  days. 
The  falls  are  about  a  mile  in  length  and  interspersed  with 
jagged  rocks,  which  looked  very  uninviting  for  a  vessel  to 
try  to  run  through.  We  ran  out  and  sank  four  large  coal 
barges  at  the  end  of  the  falls,  from  the  right  bank  of  the 
river.  Cribs  filled  with  stone  were  then  run  out  to  meet 
the  barges,  all  of  which  was  fully  accomplished,  notwith- 
standing there  was  a  current  running  at  the  rate  of  nine 
miles  an  hour,  threatening  to  sweep  everything  before  it. 

At  the  end  of  the  eighth  day  the  water  had  risen  so 
many  of  the  vessels  could  come  down ;  in  another  day  it 
would  be  high  enough  to  allow  all  to  come  down,  but, 
unfortunately,  on  the  next  day  the  pressure  of  the  water 
was  so  great  as  to  sweep  away  two  of  the  barges  of  stones. 
It  was  a  sight  to  see  (and  we  were  where  we  had  a  good 
view  of    it  all)   those  large  gunboats  go  over  those  falls. 


56  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

As  each  one  approached  to  run  the  gauntlet  you  could 
almost  hear  a  pin  drop,  but  as  they  passed  safely  over  the 
falls  cheer  upon  cheer  would  ring  from  a  thousand  throats 
at  once.  There  were  at  that  time  on  the  fleet  and  on  the 
shore  about  thirty  thousand  Yankee  soldiers  and  sailors, 
each  and  every  one  much  interested  in  the  safety  of  the 
gunboats,  as  a  great  deal  depended  on  them  at  all  times. 

After  the  fleet  had  passed  the  falls  we  all  followed  down 
the  Red  River.  The  city  of  Alexandria  was  set  or  got  on 
fire  in  some  way,  and  the  flames  could  be  seen  very  plain 
for  a  distance  of  four  or  five  miles. 

We  marched  on  down  to  Atchafalaya,  and  in  order  to 
cross  the  river  the  transports  were  drawn  up  in  line  along- 
side of  each  other,  forming  a  regular  pontoon  bridge,  as 
we  all  marched  over  them  and  arrived  safely  on  the  other 
side.  We  marched  from  there  to  Moganzie  Landing,  on 
the  Mississippi  River. 

We  built  a  fort  there  and  named  it  Fort  Moganzie.  We 
all  camped  there  about  a  month.  While  there  Major- 
General  Canby  was  sent  out  to  take  command  from  Major- 
General  Banks.  We  were  ordered  from  there  to  New 
Orleans,  and  on  arriving  there  we  went  into  camp.  Then 
the  Nineteenth  Army  Corps  were  ordered  to  go  up  the 
Potomac,  and  we  were  sent  to  Fort  Butler,  at  Donaldson- 
ville,  and  stayed  there  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  at 
the  close  we  were  ordered  down  to  New  Orleans  to  be 
mustered  out  of  service. 

On  the  1 6th  of  July,  1865,  while  at  Donaldsonville,  I 
was  on  provost  guard,  and  was  dispatched  to  go  to  New 
Orleans  with  rebel  prisoners.  We  went  on  transports, 
and,  as  it  was  night  when  we  arrived,  and  very  dark,  the 
plank  that  was  run  out  to  walk  ashore  on  was  not  wide 
enough  for  me  to  see,  so  overboard  I  went.  My  gun 
sank,  and  away  went  my  cap,  and  the  only  way  I  got  out 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  C7 

was  by  following  the  sound  of  the  voices  on  shore  ;  but 
I  managed  to  get  on  shore,  and  delivered  up  the  prisoners 
to  the  provost  marshal  and  returned  to  the  fort. 

After  I  was  mustered  out  of  service  I  stayed  in  New 
Orleans  about  a  week,  and  was  presented  a  free  pass  to 
New  York. 

While  the  steamer  I  was  in,  bound  for  New  York,  was 
off  Key  West,  the  boilers  gave  out.  The  fires  were 
drawn  and  the  steam  blown  off ;  when  repairs  were  made 
we  again  started  for  New  York.  Off  abreast  of  Charles- 
ton they  gave  out  again,  when  sail  was  set  and  we  again 
began  repairs.  While  sailing  along  in  the  Gulf  Stream 
we  sighted  a  steamer,  when  we  put  up  a  flag  of  distress. 
She  proved  to  be  the  George  Washington,  the  one  I  was 
on  being  the  barque-rigged  steamer  Blackstone.  The 
George  Washington  was  bound  from  New  Orleans  to 
New  York.  Our  captain  asked  the  other  captain  to  tow 
us  in,  but  as  they  were  a  mail  steamer  they  could  not  do 
so  ;  but  he  consented  to  take  all  the  passengers  in,  so  I 
went  on  board  and  soon  arrived  in  New  York.  From 
there  I  went  to  my  home  in  New  Bedford. 


kS  life  and  adventures  of 


CHAPTER   III. 

TO    DIFFERENT    PARTS    OF    THE    COUNTRY. 

My  stay  at  home,  as  on  the  previous  occasion,  was  very 
short,  as  I  again  shipped  on  a  smail  vessel  carrying  freight 
from  one  port  to  another.  We  contracted  for  the  season 
to  carry  oil  and  grain  between  New  Bedford  and  Albany, 
New  York.  I  remained  aboard  of  her  until  late  in  the 
fall,  and  joined  another  one  bound  from  New  Bedford  to 
Georgetown,  D.  C,  and  loaded  with  coal  there  for  Sand- 
wich, and  again  returned  to  New  Bedford,  where  I  re- 
mained through  the  winter. 

In  the  spring  of  1866,  I  again  shipped  on  the  brig 
Morning  Star,  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  bound  for  Monte- 
video, South  America.  It  was  in  the  month  of  March  that 
we  sailed,  and  the  weather  was  very  raw  and  cold.  The 
first  five  days  we  experienced  very  heavy  weather,  and  had 
to  throw  overboard  our  deck  load  of  lumber,  as  the  vessel 
was  leaking  very  badly.  The  heavy  seas  striking  her,  and 
she  being  loaded  so  heavily,  was  the  means  of  straining 
her  and  set  her  to  leaking,  and  all  the  men  that  could  be 
spared  were  pumping  continually  to  try  and  keep  her  free. 
When  the  wind  moderated  and  the  seas  went  down  we 
managed  to  free  her  from  water  when  everything  went 
along  quite  smoothly,  until  heavy  weather  again  set  in, 
and  again  she  began  leaking,  the  crew  pumping  all  the 
time.  About  twenty  days  out  we  were  struck  by  a  heavy 
gale,  which  played  sad  havoc  with  us,  as  we  lost  our  fore- 
topmast  and  foreyard,  topgallant  and  royal  yard. 

We  then  rigged  up  a  jury  mast  and  ran  into  Rio  Jane- 
iro, where  we  had  a  general  overhauling.  After  everything 
was  put  in  shape  we  again  started  on  our  trip  south,  and 
had  very  heavy  weather  all  the  time  until  we  arrived  at 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  59 

Montevideo,  which  caused  us  to  lay  the  vessel  to,  and  man 
the  pumps,  in  order  to  stay  afloat.  It  was  during  a  heavy 
gale  that  we  ran  in  as  far  as  possible,  which  brought  us 
deep  into  the  mud. 

We  remained  there  about  a  month  when  we  were 
ordered  up  the  river,  about  three  hundred  miles  to 
Buenos  Ayres.  The  passage  was  made  in  three  days, 
when  we  anchored  about  seven  miles  from  the  city,  as  at 
that  time  large  vessels  generally  anchored  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  miles  below  the  city. 

We  remained  there  about  five  months.  During:  the 
time  we  experienced  two  severe  pamperos.  The  first  one 
drove  seventeen  vessels  ashore,  making  total  wrecks  of  all 
of  them,  as  they  went  to  pieces  in  a  short  time,  and  the 
second  drove  nine  more  ashore,  totally  wrecking  them  all. 
Many  anchors  were  lost  there ;  not  any  of  the  vessels  that 
were  wrecked  had  probably  less  than  two  down,  to  try  to 
hold  the  vessel.  But  they  proved  of  little  avail,  as  they 
all  drove  ashore,  which  left  the  anchors  on  the  bottom. 
A  new  side-wheel  passenger  steamer  named  the  Oriento,  a 
very  large  boat,  started  on  her  trip  from  Buenos  Ayres  to 
Montevideo,  and  as  the  water  was  shoal  she  was  so  unfor- 
tunate as  to  strike  one  or  more  of  the  anchors  on  the  bot- 
tom, which  stove  a  large  hole  in  her  bottom.  She  soon 
filled  and  sank,  and  on  account  of  the  water  being  shoal 
her  deck  remained  two  or  three  feet  out  of  the  water.  She 
sank  about  two  and  one-half  miles  from  shore.  As  soon  as 
we  saw  what  had  happened,  we  lowered  our  boat  and 
put  in  a  diving  suit  and  apparatus  and  started  for  her,  the 
captain  luckily  having  them  aboard  at  the  time. 

Our  cargo  consisted  of  material  for  constructing  a  ma- 
rine railway,  and  as  diving  suits  are  used  in  placing  them 
we  carried  them  also  ;  and  it  was  fortunate  for  the  crew 
of  the  steamer  that  we  were  there  at  the  time.     As  soon 


60  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

as  we  boarded  the  steamer,  our  captain  made  arrangements 
with  the  steamer's  captain  to  stop  up  the  hole  in  her  bottom. 
I  was  asked  if  I  would  don  the  suit  and  go  down  on  the 
bottom  and  investigate  the  real  damage.  Being  young  and 
venturesome,  I  quickly  volunteered  to  do  so. 

I  put  on  the  suit,  which  was  heavily  weighted  with  lead 
and  was  so  heavy  I  could  hardly  walk,  and  when  they 
were  ready  to  put  on  the  large  helmet  one  of  our  crew 
began  pumping  air  to  me  to  enable  me  to  breathe.  It 
was  a  queer  sensation  to  have  to  depend  on  a  machine  to 
furnish  air  to  breathe,  as  that  was  the  only  means  I  had 
to  get  any  after  the  helmet  was  adjusted.  When  I  went 
down  to  the  bottom  I  found  it  no  trouble  at  all  to  move 
about  as  I  chose ;  and  upon  investigation  I  found  that  the 
bottom  of  the  steamer  was  so  flat  and  the  bottom  so  hard, 
I  could  not  discover  the  hole  made  by  the  sunken  anchor. 

I  remained  down  several  hours,  without  any  success 
whatever.  I  then  gave  the  signal  to  be  drawn  up,  and 
after  removing  the  helmet  I  called  for  a  shovel  and  hoe 
and  again  descended,  and  began  digging  in  order  to  locate 
the  place  that  was  stoven.  I  was  digging  most  of  the  time 
for  several  days,  and  as  the  bottom  was  so  hard  it  was 
slow  work.  I  had  not  succeeded  in  locating  the  spot  when 
another  pampero  visited  us  and  swept  the  steamer's  upper 
works  entirely  away,  which  made  a  complete  wreck  of 
her,  on  account  of  which  we  abandoned  the  undertaking. 
The  steamer  was  then  thrown  on  the  hands  of  the  under- 
writers, who  sold  her  as  she  lay  at  auction. 

About  a  month  after  this  we  were  ordered  across  the 
river  about  thirty  miles  to  a  place  called  Colonia,  to  put 
down  the  marine  railway.  This  place  is  in  the  Oriental 
Republic. 

We  discharged  our  cargo  on  shore,  and  were  then  or- 
dered   on    shore    to    help  construct    it,   as  we   carried    the 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  6 1 

carpenters  with  us  that  were  to  build  it.  While  we  were 
building  the  railway,  the  captain  shipped  some  Spaniards 
(and  sailed  the  vessel  to  Montevideo,  where  he  sold  her  at 
auction).  As  soon  as  I  heard  of  it  I  refused  to  work  on 
shore  as  I  wanted  to  go  on  the  vessel.  The  captain  re- 
fused to  let  me  go  on  board,  and  put  me  in  the  caliboose 
(jail).  After  he  had  sold  her  he  came  to  me  to  see  if  I 
would  go  to  work.  Upon  my  refusing  to  do  so  he  let  me 
out,  as  he  had  to  pay  my  board  while  I  was  there. 

After  I  got  out  I  stayed  around  four  or  five  days  and  then 
started  on  foot  for  Montevideo,  three  hundred  miles  away. 
In  some  places  there  was  quite  a  good  road,  and  in  others 
there  was  none.  I  did  not  know  where  I  would  come  out, 
as  it  was  all  guess-work  and  nothing  to  guide  me,  but  I 
kept  on  going ;  some  days  I  walked  twenty  or  more  miles 
without  seeing  a  house  of  any  kind,  and  when  night  came 
on  I  would  place  a  stone  pointing  in  the  direction  I  was 
walking,  so  I  would  not  get  turned  round  after  sleeping. 
It  was  a  very  tedious  journey  all  alone.  I  saw  a  great  many 
animals  on  the  way,  such  as  gazelles,  antelopes,  tigers,  and 
hundreds  of  ostriches.  What  few  people  I  saw  were  very 
good  to  me,  and  gave  me  plenty  to  eat.  I  was  nine  days 
making  the  journey,  and  a  lonesome  nine  days  it  was,  too, 
and  in  a  strange  country.  I  tried  to  make  the  people  I  met 
understand  that  I  was  bound  for  Montevideo,  and  they 
would  point  for  me,  and  by  going  as  they  pointed  I  arrived 
at  last,  but  very  footsore  and  weary,  and  I  was  thankful  I 
was  there. 

As  soon  as  I  arrived  I  called  on  the  American  Consul  and 
received  the  money  due  me  from  the  vessel,  which  amounted 
to  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  I  remained  there 
about  two  weeks  and  then  shipped  on  a  whitewash  barque 
bound  for  New  York  with  a  load  of  hides.  These  vessels 
were  called  whitewash  on  account  of  wanting  to  keep  clear 


62  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

from  the  privateers,  by  flying  the  English  flag  instead  of  the 
American  flag.  The  one  I  shipped  on  was  an  American 
with  English  colors  and  hailed  from  Capetown,  but  in  reality 
belonged  in  New  York.  We  were  sixty-three  days  on  the 
passage,  which  was  a  very  rough  one,  head  winds  and  gales 
most  of  the  time.     We  arrived  in  New  York  in  March,  1867. 

I  remained  in  New  York  several  days  and  returned  to  New 
Bedford.  I  then,  after  a  short  stay  at  home,  shipped  on  a 
coasting  schooner  for  the  balance  of  the  summer.  In  the 
fall  I  went  to  the  West  Indies,  returning  in  the  spring  of 
1868.  I  then  joined  a  wrecking  party  and  made  a  business 
of  diving  in  a  diving  suit.  I  patched  a  great  many  vessels 
ready  for  raising,  cut  and  cleared  the  rigging  from  others, 
hooked  on  anchors,  chains  and  a  hundred  and  one  other 
things  that  I  chanced  to  find  on  the  bottom.  I  continued  in 
this  capacity  until  about  July,  1869,  when  I  again  went  to 
New  York  and  shipped  as  second  mate  of  the  barque 
Fannie,  bound  for  Havre,  France,  with  a  cargo  of  petroleum 
oil  in  barrels.  We  had  a  very  rough  passage  and  lost  several 
sails. 

On  arriving  we  discharged  our  cargo  and  took  on  ballast 
and  sailed  for  Cardiff,  Wales,  to  load  coal  for  Havana,  Cuba. 
We  again  had  a  very  rough  passage.  On  arriving,  the  crew 
had  to  discharge  the  coal  in  small  baskets,  by  hoisting  it  out 
with  a  winch.  After  discharging  we  loaded  sugar  in  hogs- 
heads for  New  York.  We  arrived  there  in  March,  1870. 
I  left  the  vessel  there  and  shipped  on  the  schooner  Annie  A. 
Whitin.  After  putting  my  things  on  board  we  started  on 
our  passage  for  English  Guinea,  Central  America ;  we 
carried  a  cargo  of  breadstuff  in  the  hold  and  live  sheep  on 
deck.  Nothing  of  any  importance  occurred  during  the 
passage.  We  arrived  and  discharged  our  cargo  and  took  on 
a  return  cargo  of  sugar  for  New  York.  We  made  the  trip 
in  about  fifty  days. 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  63 

On  our  arrival  in  New  York,  I  left  and  took  my  things 
on  shore  and  again  shipped,  this  time  on  the  brig  Gazelle, 
of  Harrington,  Maine,  commanded  by  a  Captain  Cole.  I 
shipped  with  him  as  his  mate.  We  then  began  loading 
coal  for  Boston.  We  made  the  run  without  accident  of 
any  kind.  We  sailed  from  Boston,  after  unloading  the 
cargo  of  coal,  in  ballast  for  Bangor,  Maine.  On  our  arrival 
we  began  taking  in  our  cargo  of  orange  box  shooks  for 
Palermo,  in  the  Island  of  Sicily.  We  finished  loading  and 
started  for  our  destination,  nearly  four  thousand  miles  away. 

On  our  way  we  stopped  at  Gibraltar  several  days  and 
then  started  again  for  our  destination.  The  passage  at  times 
was  quite  unpleasant,  but  nothing  of  any  serious  nature 
occurring.  On  our  arrival  we  discharged  our  cargo  in 
lighters,  as  there  was  no  place  to  land  except  in  small  boats. 
We  took  a  return  cargo  of  oranges,  lemons  and  sulphur  for 
Boston,  Mass.  From  there  we  went  to  Porto  Rico,  in  the 
West  Indies, and  discharged  our  cargo  of  breadstuffs  in  three 
different  ports  on  the  island.  We  then  took  in  ballast  and 
sailed  for  Turk's  Island  after  a  cargo  of  salt;  loaded  and 
proceeded  to  New  York  ;  arrived  and  discharged  the  cargo, 
and  took  on  a  general  cargo  for  Galveston,  Texas.  We 
took  on  a  cargo  of  cotton  for  a  return  to  New  York.  After 
discharging  the  cargo  of  cotton  we  took  on  a  cargo  of 
naphtha  for  Stockholm,  Sweden,  up  the  Baltic  Sea,  by  the 
route  of  the  north  of  Scotland. 

We  had  a  nice  passage  and  arrived  safe  and  sound,  dis- 
charged our  cargo,  and  began  loading  iron  for  New  York, 
which  took  us  nearly  a  month.  After  completing  loading 
we  set  sail  for  New  York.  We  sailed  down  the  Baltic  Sea, 
across  the  North  Sea,  and  out  through  the  English  Channel. 
After  passing  Scilly  Islands,  off  and  in  sight  of  Land's  End, 
England,  we  encountered  heavy  westerly  gales  and  heavy 
weather  all  the  way  until  within  about  five  hundred  miles 


64  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

of  the  Grand  Banks,  off  Newfoundland,  when  we  were 
struck  by  a  terrible  hurricane.  The  vessel  being  loaded  so 
deep,  and  with  a  dead  weight  cargo,  made  her  behave  very- 
bad,  the  water  on  deck  at  times  being  even  with  the  vessel's 
rails.  We  lay  the  vessel  to  under  a  double-reefed  mainsail, 
and  my  readers  can  form  a  little  idea  what  the  ocean  in  its 
fury  is,  when  I  tell  you  that  with  our  mainsail  double-reefed 
we  were  boarded  by  a  heavy  sea  which  struck  the  mainsail 
and  tore  it  into  ribbons.  After  this  accident  occurred  she 
labored  very  hard.  If  we  had  a  cargo  of  lumber,  or  some 
other  light  material,  we  would  have  thought  nothing  about 
it,  as  she  would  have  rode  the  seas  like  a  duck ;  but  being 
loaded  with  iron  was  not  very  pleasant  just  at  this  time. 

As  she  lay  to  she  rolled  in  the  trough  of  the  sea, — as 
though  she  would  never  rise  from  it.  We  were  expecting 
all  the  time  she  would  founder,  and  for  fear  she  would  we 
tried  our  best  to  keep  her  afloat.  We  got  the  cargo  gaff 
and  hook,  a  small  anchor,  and  lashed  it  to  the  gaff,  and 
made  a  hawser  fast  to  the  bridle  on  the  gaff,  and  dropped  it 
over  the  weather  quarter,  making  the  hawser  fast  to  a  bit 
forward ;  and  as  the  vessel  drifted  to  the  leeward  the  gaff 
pulled  out  ahead.  This  did  not  seem  to  do  much  good,  so 
we  took  tarpaulins  and  put  them  in  the  main  rigging,  and 
then  unbent  the  main  staysail  and  set  it  for  a  storm  trysail 
on  the  mainmast;  and  as  this  didn't  seem  to  do  any  good, 
we  began  to  throw  some  of  the  cargo  of  iron  overboard. 

We  threw  overboard  about  twelve  tons  the  first  day,  yet 
she  continued  to  roll  and  slat  about,  so  that  our  fore  top- 
gallant mast,  with  yards  and  sails,  went  by  the  board. 
This  hurricane  held  on  for  seventy-two  hours,  when  the 
weather  began  to  moderate.  As  soon  as  we  deemed  it  ad- 
visable to  remove  our  main  hatches  we  did  so,  and  threw 
overboard  about  forty  tons  more  of  our  cargo.  As  we  had 
met  with  such  an  accident  to  our  masts  and  rigging,  the 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  65 

captain  concluded  to  run  in  to  Fayal,  to  repair  damages; 
and  as  we  had  a  strong  fair  wind  we  made  the  run  in  four 
days,  when  we  anchored  in  the  harbor  of  Norta  Fayal. 
We  put  down  three  anchors  to  make  sure  and  hold  her,  as 
we  had  met  with  enough  misfortune  already.  We  had  a 
survey  on  the  vessel,  and  were  recommended  to  discharge 
our  cargo  in  order  to  make  the  necessary  repairs,  and  put 
her  in  shape  to  continue  the  passage. 

The  cargo  was  sent  on  shore  in  lighters,  on  account  of 
which  we  were  ten  days  or  more  before  it  was  all  out. 
After  completing  repairs  we  took  on  our  cargo  again  and 
sailed  for  New  York.  Before  leaving,  the  American  Con- 
sul put  seven  sailors  that  were  ashore  there  on  his  hands 
from  a  condemned  vessel,  on  board  with  us  to  bring  to  the 
United  States.  We  had  a  very  rough  passage,  but  luckily 
without  accident.  The  run  was  made  in  forty-two  days. 
On  arriving  we  discharged  the  cargo,  and  after  everything 
was  put  on  shore  and  the  vessel  put  in  shape,  I  left  and 
took  my  effects  on  shore. 

I  remained  in  New  York  several  days,  when  I  shipped 
again,  this  time  on  the  brig  Myronus,  of  Ellsworth,  Me., 
under  command  of  Captain  Higgins.  This  was  in  July, 
1872.  We  loaded  crude  petroleum  for  Marseilles,  France. 
We  had  a  pleasant  passage,  and  made  the  run  in  about 
forty  days.  We  discharged  our  cargo  and  loaded  tiles  for 
San  Fugas,  south  side  of  Cuba.  These  tiles  are  made  of 
clay,  and  look  like  a  piece  of  pipe  cut  in  two  in  the  center. 
They  are  used  for  shingling  houses,  and  are  sure  to  run  all 
the  water  off  that  strikes  on  them,  as  they  form  a  regular 
spout.  We  finished  loading  on  November  21st,  1872. 
The  date  is  fresh  in  my  memory,  as  on  the  following  day 
(it  was  a  gala  day  for  me)  I  was  married  on  board  the 
vessel  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  American 
Consul,  named  Price,  and    the  vice  consul,  came  aboard 


MRS.  CAPT.  THOMAS  CRAPO. 


CAPT.    TIIOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  67 

and  performed  the  ceremony.  The  bride  was  a  Miss 
Joanna  Styff ,  of  Glasgow,  Scotland  ;  and  in  order  to  tell 
you  what  countrywoman  she  is  I  will  give  you  the  facts, 
and,  kind  reader,  you  can  try  to  explain  the  puzzle  yourself. 

She  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  Sept.  26,  1854. 
Her  father  was  a  native  of  Stockholm,  Sweden  ;  her  mother 
was  an  English  woman,  a  native  of  Newcastle-on-Tyne. 
When  eight  years  of  age  her  parents  moved  to  Marseilles, 
France,  where  she  also  attended  school  and  is  a  splendid 
French  scholar.  She  remained  there  until  the  Yankee 
sailor,  Captain  Crapo,  made  her  his  bride,  when  we  started 
on  our  return  trip. 

We  sailed  on  the  23d,  with  a  nice  fair  wind  for  the  first 
three  days,  down  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  My  wife  was  very 
sea-sick,  and  home-sick  as  well,  for  a  week  or  more,  which 
made  it  very  unpleasant  for  her ;  but  as  she  began  to  get 
better,  she  soon  seemed  like  herself  again.  We  then  had 
strong  westerly  winds,  and  it  took  us  about  twenty  days  to 
get  down  to  Gibraltar,  and  as  we  could  not  get  through 
the  straits  we  anchored  and  waited  for  a  fair  wind. 

We  made  ourselves  as  comfortable  as  possible,  not  know- 
ing how  long  we  should  have  to  wait.  On  the  fourth  day 
the  wind  veered  around,  when  we  hove  up  our  anchor  and 
made  sail  and  proceeded  on  our  way,  the  rest  of  the  pas- 
sage being  very  pleasant. 

At  last  we  arrived  in  January,  1S73.  After  discharging 
the  cargo  we  loaded  sugar  for  New  York,  my  wife  remain- 
ing on  board  with  me.  We  arrived  in  New  York  and  dis- 
charged the  cargo.  After  everything  was  put  to  rights  I 
took  my  discharge  and,  accompanied  by  my  wife,  started 
for  my  home  in  New  Bedford,  where  I  remained  until  late 
in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  when  I  again  shipped  as  mate 
on  the  schooner  Annie  Tibbets,  Captain  Curtis,  of  Har- 
rington, Maine.     My  wife  again  accompanied  me,  as  she 


6S  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

was  a  plucky  sailor,  and  wanted  to  go  where  I  did.  We 
went  to  Tiverton,  Rhode  Island,  to  load  fish  guano  for 
Philadelphia,  Penn.  The  Captain's  wife  also  accompa- 
nied him  on  this  trip.  The  only  drawback  to  this  trip  was 
that  Mrs.  Crapo  did  not  like  the  perfume  of  the  cargo,  as 
fish  guano  is  not  suitable  to  anyone's  taste,  and  the  smell 
clings-to  your  clothing  for  weeks  afterwards.  After  being 
on  board  with  it  a  short  time  one  gets  used  to  it  and  almost 
forgets  it  remains  in  the  clothing,  but  if  I  got  into  a  horse- 
car  or  passed  anyone  on  the  street  they  could  smell  it  very 
readily,  and  would  let  you  know  it  by  turning  up  their 
noses. 

After  discharging  this  rancid,  foul-smelling  cargo  we 
loaded  coal  for  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  my  birthplace.  We 
were  taking  on  the  coal  at  Port  Richmond  when,  in  the 
evening,  Mrs.  Curtis,  the  Captain's  wife,  and  my  wife  and 
myself  started  to  go  uptown,  shopping.  The  place  is 
completely  covered  with  railroad  tracks,  and  trains  are 
coming  and  going  all  the  time.  I  proceeded  ahead  to  act 
as  pilot  across  the  tracks,  when  soon  I  heard  my  wife 
screaming.  It  seems  she  was  walking  behind  Mrs.  Curtis 
when  her  shoe  heel  caught  in  a  frog  in  the  track,  and  her 
screaming  probably  saved  her  life,  as  a  train  was  nearing 
her  on  that  same  track  and  stopped  just  before  reaching  her. 

As  she  screamed,  I  turned  and  saw  this  train  coming, 
when  I  hurriedly  extricated  her  from  her  perilous  position 
without  accident,  but  she  was  badly  frightened,  and  will 
probably  never  forget  it,  as  she  often  speaks  of  it.  After 
loading  the  vessel  we  proceeded  on  our  journey,  and  as  we 
had  good  weather,  we  arrived  and  discharged  our  cargo 
without  any  accident  whatever.  After  discharging  the 
cargo  we  hauled  alongside  the  dock,  and  remained  there 
about  two  months,  as  the  ice  was  making  fast,  as  it  was 
very  cold. 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  69 

In  the  spring  of  the  following  year  we  again  sailed,  this 
time  for  Orient,  Long  Island,  to  load  fertilizer  for  Port 
Royal,  South  Carolina.  We  had  a  good  passage  as  far  as 
the  lightship  off  Port  Ro5ral,  named  the  Martin  Industry. 
We  arrived  off  there  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  and 
set  our  colors  at  our  foremast  for  a  pilot.  We  sailed 
around  all  day  but  none  came  off  to  us.  At  night  we 
shortened  sail  and  let  her  drift  around ;  but  during  the 
night  a  heavy  gale  sprung  up  and  the  weather  was  very 
thick  and  foggy,  on  account  of  which  we  were  blown  off 
shore  into  the  Gulf  Stream. 

The  gale  lasted  for  three  days  and  nights,  and  it  was 
eight  days  before  we  got  back  to  the  lightship.  We  then 
got  a  pilot  and  ran  in  and  discharged.  We  then  loaded 
railroad  ties  for  New  York  ;  arrived  and  discharged  them 
all  right.  We  then  took  in  ballast  for  Fernandina,  Florida. 
My  wife  left  the  vessel  here,  and  went  to  her  brother's,  in 
New  Brunswick,  N.  J.  We  had  a  good  passage  all  the 
way,  and  on  arriving  we  discharged  the  ballast  and  took 
on  a  cargo  of  ship  timber  for  Harrington,  Maine.  We 
had  a  very  rough  passage ;  many  times  the  seas  would 
wash  clear  across  the  vessel.  We  ran  in  within  seven 
miles  of  our  destination,  when  owing  to  the  crookedness  of 
the  river,  we  rafted  the  timbers  on  shore. 

After  discharging  I  left  the  vessel  and  went  on  to  New 
York,  where  I  shipped  on  a  three-masted  schooner  named 
the  James  M.  Riley,  of  Harrington,  Maine,  under  com- 
mand of  a  Captain  Eaton.  I  shipped  with  him  as  first 
mate,  and  we  were  to  load  petroleum  oil  for  Cranston, 
Finland,  in  Russia.  Our  course  was  across  the  Atlantic  to 
the  north  of  Scotland,  across  the  North  Sea,  then  through 
the  Straits  of  Elsinor  into  the  Baltic  Sea.  Our  cargo  was 
for  St.  Petersburg,  but  as  the  water  was  not  deep  enough 
to  allow  us  to  go  there  we  had  to  discharge  at  Cranston, 


yo  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

about  fifteen  miles  below,  yet  we  could  see  St.  Petersburg 
quite  plain.  After  discharging  we  took  in  ballast  of  about 
thirty  tons  and  sailed  towards  Cape  Britain,  New  Bruns- 
wick. 

While  sailing  down  the  Baltic  Sea  we  had  very  heavy 
weather  and  soon  found  out  we  did  not  have  in  ballast 
enough,  so  we  put  in  to  Copenhagen,  Denmark,  and  put 
aboard  fifty  more  tons.  After  it  was  aboard  and  properly 
trimmed  we  again  started  on  our  passage.  We  went  back 
north  of  Scotland  again  on  our  way  to  Cape  Britain.  We 
experienced  very  heavy  weather  all  the  way,  which  took 
us  forty  days,  when  we  ran  in  to  New  Caledonia,  Cape 
Britain,  where  we  unloaded  our  ballast  and  loaded  coal 
for  New  York.  The  passage  was  a  very  rough  one  and 
took  us  eighteen  days.  After  discharging  our  cargo  we 
had  the  vessel  hauled  alongside  the  wharf,  where  she  re- 
mained for  two  months,  waiting  for  a  cargo.  At  last  we 
chartered  to  load  sugar-box  shooks  for  Cardness,  north 
side  of  Cuba ;  had  very  heavy  weather,  and  lost  our  fore- 
topmast  and  jibboom  in  a  gale.  While  we  were  discharg- 
ing, Captain  Boynton,  a  part  owner  of  the  vessel,  took 
command  in  place  of  Captain  Eaton,  and  as  his  wife  came 
on  with  him  I  had  mine  join  us,  as  it  would  be  pleasant 
for  the  Captain's  wife  to  have  company  on  board,  as  well 
as  company  for  me. 

While  we  were  discharging,  the  two  ladies  were  ashore 
most  of  the  time,  enjoying  themselves  and  seeing  the  sights. 
After  discharging  we  loaded  sugar  for  New  York  ;  had 
very  heavy  weather  and  snowstorms  north  of  Cape  Hat- 
teras.  On  arriving  at  Sandy  Hook  we  anchored,  and  the 
heavy  ice  coming  down  on  us  drove  us  about  five  miles  to 
sea.  The  next  morning  a  towboat  came  down  and  offered 
to  tow  us  in  for  one  thousand  dollars.  This  was  an  enor- 
mous sum,   and    made    us  whistle.     At    last,    after    some 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  7 1 

parleying,  the  Captain  offered  them  two  hundred  dollars, 
and  after  due  consideration  they  agreed  to  take  it,  so  they 
took  our  lines  and  started  with  us.  The  tide  and  ice  was 
against  us,  and  it  took  them  all  day  to  tow  us  thirty  miles. 
We  looked  like  a  floating  iceberg  instead  of  a  vessel  on 
our  arrival  at  the  wharf ;  everything  was  ice  everywhere. 
We  began  to  discharge  our  cargo,  which  was  not  a  very 
pleasant  job,  as  the  weather  was  so  cold  and  ice  was 
everywhere. 

After  discharging  the  cargo  I  left  the  vessel  and  shipped 
as  first  mate  on  the  brig  Kaluna,  Captain  Nash,  of  Har- 
rington, Maine  ;  my  wife  also  went  with  me.  We  loaded 
a  general  cargo  for  Fernandina,  Florida.  After  loading 
we  started  south,  encountering  heavy  winds  and  rain- 
storms most  of  the  way.  We  arrived  safe  and  sound  and 
discharged  the  cargo  and  took  on  a  cargo  for  London, 
England.  The  cargo  consisted  of  hard  pine  and  cotton 
seed  in  the  hold  and  five  hundred  barrels  of  rosin  on 
deck.  While  loading  there  the  crew  undertook  to  desert 
in  the  night,  but  the  watchman  on  the  wharf  stopped  them 
and  notified  the  Captain,  who  had  them  all  put  in  the 
calaboose  until  the  vessel  was  loaded.  After  loading 
we  went  down  stream  and  anchored,  when  a  policeman 
brought  the  crew  aboard. 

After  they  were  on  board  we  asked  them  to  turn  to  and 
man  the  vessel,  and  on  their  refusing  to  do  so  we  put 
them  all  in  irons  and  lashed  them  to  a  spar  that  was  to 
the  main  hatch.  The  towboat' s  crew  assisted  us  to  make 
sail  and  towed  us  to  sea.  When  the  towboat  dropped  our 
line  we  squared  away  for  London.  About  three  hours 
after  the  towboat  left  the  men  concluded  to  turn  to,  as 
they  could  not  help  themselves.  We  had  very  heavy 
weather,  making  sail  and  taking  it  in  most  of  the  time, 
until  we  arrived  off  the  banks  of  Newfoundland.     After 


72  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

passing  the  banks  we  had  a  very  heavy  hurricane.  We 
ran  under  a  lown  foretopsail  and  reefed  foresail,  and  as 
the  hurricane  increased  caused  us  to  ship  large  quantities 
of  water,  which  started  our  deck-load  of  rosin  adrift,  and 
we  could  not  secure  it,  as  the  vessel  rolled  so  and  the 
heavy  seas  were  continually  breaking  over  us,  and  for  fear 
it  would  start  the  vessel  leaking  the  Captain  ordered  it 
thrown  overboard.  In  order  to  lighten  her  as  soon  as 
possible  the  Captain  took  the  wheel  and  I  took  the  crew 
and  began  throwing  the  rosin  overboard,  breaking  in  some 
of  them  where  we  could,  and  where  it  was  not  so  easy  to 
break  them  in  we  rolled  them  over  as  they  were. 

We  had  thrown  over  the  whole  deck-load  all  but  three 
barrels,  when,  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  we  shipped  a 
very  heavy  sea.  We  were  running  dead  before  the  wind, 
when  I  saw  a  large  sea  coming  astern.  I  jumped  up  on 
the  house,  calling  to  the  crew  at  the  same  time  to  look 
out  for  themselves.  I  had  but  just  got  hold  of  the  rigging 
when  the  sea  broke  clear  over  the  stern  of  the  vessel. 
We  had  a  boat  swung  astern  and  the  sea  slammed  it  against 
the  main  boom,  breaking  it  in  two,  and  but  for  the  boat 
being  there  the  captain  would  have  been  instantly  killed 
at  the  wheel,  as  the  boat  broke  the  force  of  the  sea. 
Besides  smashing  our  boat  it  stove  in  the  cabin  and 
started  it  from  the  deck  and  filled  it  more  than  half  full 
of  water.  My  wife  was  the  only  woman  on  board  and 
the  only  occupant  of  the  cabin  at  the  time.  And  she, 
instead  of  fainting  as  many  men"  would  have  done  at  such 
a  time,  grasped  the  lamp  from  a  socket  and  held  it  up  to 
the  binnacle  so  the  vessel  could  be  kept  in  her  course,  as 
the  binnacle  was  smashed,  lamp  and  all. 

Hers  was  not  a  very  comfortable  position,  nearly  waist 
deep  in  water  holding  up  a  lamp  so  the  helmsman  could 
see  how  to  steer.      That  was  a  good  sign  of  presence  of 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  73 

mind  in  an  emergency.  She  knew  as  soon  as  the  binnacle 
light  went  out  something  must  be  done  to  give  those  on 
deck  light,  and  acted  as  stated  above  ;  and  she  was  more 
than  praised  for  her  bravery.  While  holding  the  light 
the  second  mate  went  below  for  a  tackle  to  put  on  to  the 
wheel  or  tiller,  as  the  wheel  was  broken,  and  it  was  the 
only  means  of  safety  at  such  a  time,  and  being  in  the  night 
made  it  much  worse,  as  it  is  not  pleasant  in  a  hurricane  in 
a  dark  night.  As  he  went  below  Mrs.  Crapo  asked  him 
the  extent  of  the  damage,  when  he  replied,  "I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  the  whole  stern  is  stove  in."  Her  reply  was, 
"  Well,  if  that  is  the  case  we  will  not  be  here  very  long," 
when  he  made  the  remark  that  he  didn't  think  we  would 
last  until  morning.  When  my  wife  told  me  of  the  con- 
versation I  talked  quite  strongly  to  him  for  trying  to 
frighten  her.  Provided  he  thought  so,  he  should  have  tried 
to  cheer  her  up,  instead  of  scaring  her  at  such  a  time ;  but 
he  was,  no  doubt,  as  much  or  more  frightened  than  she 
was. 

We  at  last  succeeded  in  getting  a  tackle  on  the  tiller 
so  we  could  handle  her,  and  with  a  man  to  attend  to  it, 
with  my  wife  still  holding  the  lamp,  I  went  forward  and 
ordered  the  foresail  clewed  up,  then  the  lower  topsail, 
still  holding  her  before  the  wind.  We  then  hoisted  and 
set  one  two-reefed  mainsail  with  a  winch.  The  captain 
then  ordered  me  to  try  and  save  the  pieces  of  the  boat 
hanging  alongside.  I  replied  by  trying  to  save  it.  We 
might  have  lost  the  vessel,  so  I  ordered  it  cut  away.  We 
then  put  the  rudder  down  to  lay  the  vessel  to,  when  she 
shipped  another  heavy  sea,  which  washed  the  remaining 
three  barrels  of  rosin  from  forward  clear  aft,  and  we  soon 
launched  them  overboard.  As  soon  as  daylight  broke  we 
set  to  work  repairing  the  wheel  and  cabin  door  and  getting 
the  water  out  of  the  cabin.     We  were    all  tired  out  and 


74  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

wet  through,  and  what  rest  we  got  was   by  lying  down 
where  we  could  just  as  we  were  for  a  short  time. 

During  the  forenoon  the  lamp  in  my  room,  over  my 
desk,  was  taken  out  of  its  socket  by  the  steward  and  put 
on  my  desk,  and  the  rolling  of  the  vessel  threw  it  off  and 
into  my  bed,  setting  the  clothes  on  fire.  The  captain 
happened  to  go  below  and  saw  it  just  in  time  to  avoid  a 
terrible  catastrophe,  and  saved  us  all  from  a  horrible  fate. 
We  continued  to  lay  to  until  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  when  the  wind  moderated  and  the  sea  went 
down  a  little,  so  we  could  set  a  reefed  foresail  and  lown 
topsail.  We  ran  that  way  until  the  next  morning,  when 
we  put  on  the  upper  topsail  and  ran  that  way  until  we 
sighted  Land's  End,  England,  when  the  weather  moder- 
ated and  all  sail  was  set,  and  good  weather  prevailed  the 
balance  of  the  passage  to  London. 

While  discharging  the  cargo  all  of  the  crew,  including 
the  steward,  deserted.  After  discharging  our  cargo  we 
took  on  part  of  a  load  of  cement  for  New  York.  We 
were  there  nearly  a  month,  and  when  ready  to  sail  the 
captain  shipped  four  sailors  and  a  steward.  We  then  towed 
part  way  down  the  Thames  river ;  we  then  made  sail  and 
beat  down  to  the  downs  off  Deals  and  came  to  an  anchor. 
It  blew  very  hard,  so  we  dropped  both  anchors,  as  we 
were  drifting.  Two  of  the  sailors  that  were  shipped  in 
London  were  no  good  at  all  and  didn't  seem  to  know  any- 
thing ;  they  shipped  as  able  seamen,  but  were  not  near  as 
good  as  ordinary  seamen. 

We  remained  at  anchor  about  three  days,  when  the 
second  mate  went  forward  to  call  the  sailors  to  heave  up 
anchors  and  make  sail  for  a  start,  when  the  two  that  I 
said  were  no  good  refused  to  do  so,  saying  they  were  sick, 
and  the  other  two  refused  unless  the  captain  would  ship 
two    more    good    men.     The    second    mate   came  aft  and 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  75 

told  me  what  they  said.  I  reported  the  case  to  the  cap- 
tain, who  said,  "Put  them  in  irons."  Right  here  I  will 
say  that  there  are  a  great  many  pretended  sailors  who 
work  such  tricks  on  captains  of  vessels,  as  they  generally 
secure  a  good  advance,  and  then  form  some  scheme  to  get 
away  from  the  vessel.  On  going  forward  with  the  hand- 
cuffs they  refused  to  be  put  in  irons,  which  I  also  reported 
to  the  captain.  We  then  both  went  forward,  when  a 
scuffle  ensued,  one  of  them  stabbing  me  with  a  knife  in  the 
back  of  my  neck,  which  has  left  a  large  scar  that  I  will 
carry  to  my  grave.  The  thrust  was  meant  to  kill,  as  the 
knife  went  in  all  of  two  inches,  and  by  placing  my  finger 
where  it  went  makes  a  very  funny  feeling  at  the  present 
time.     A  sheath  knife  is  an  ugly  thing  to  be  cut  with. 

We  then  hoisted  our  flag  in  the  rigging  union  down,  a 
sign  of  distress,  when  a  boat  came  from  shore  to  ascertain 
the  cause  of  distress,  and  took  the  captain  and  myself  on 
shore,  where  I  was  put  in  a  hospital  for  treatment.  I  was 
there  four  days  before  my  wife  was  allowed  to  see  me,  as 
my  case  was  a  critical  one.  The  doctor  thought  I  would 
not  pull  through,  but  with  a  good  constitution  I  soon 
rallied.  After  I  went  to  the  hospital  the  police  went  on 
board  the  vessel  and  took  the  mutinous  sailors  on  shore 
and  lodged  them  in  jail.  While  in  the  hospital  the  sailors 
were  brought  in  and  court  was  held  there,  and  the  decree 
of  the  court  was  that  an  American  on  an  American  vessel 
had  no  right  to  put  a  man  in  irons  in  English  waters,  a 
very  queer  ruling  I  thought  for  an  attempt  to  murder,  so 
the  sailors  were  allowed  to  go  free.  I  remained  in  the 
hospital  about  twelve  days.  After  the  men  were  set  free 
the  captain  went  to  London  and  shipped  four  more  men 
and  a  mate  and  sent  the  two  that  were  playing  sick  on 
shore,  as  they  were  of  no  account  at  all.  When  the  cap- 
tain told  me  that  he  had  shipped  a  mate  to  take  my  place 


76  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

it  made  me  very  indignant,  and  I  refused  to  go  with  him, 
but  he  cried  and  took  on  so  that  at  last  I  consented  to  go. 
I  didn't  like  the  idea  at  all,  but  he  meant  well  and  did  so 
to  make  it  easy  for  me  as  I  was  not  able  (yet  I  thought  I 
was)  to  stand  watch  day  and  night,  as  I  had  not  recovered 
from  my  wound,  as  it  was  such  a  deep  cut  it  took  a  long 
time  to  heal,  and  it  was  a  very  close  shave  and  a  great 
wonder  it  did  not  sever  my  jugular  vein  or  my  backbone. 

The  hospital  surgeon  gave  me  permission  to  go,  but  told 
me  I  must  be  very  careful,  as  I  was  not  near  out  of  danger 
yet,  and  told  me  not  to  undertake  to  do  anything  but  to 
keep  as  quiet  as  possible.  After  going  on  board  at  day- 
light we  hove  up  anchor  and  made  sail  for  our  journey  to 
New  York.  We  had  very  good  weather  the  first  part  of 
the  passage,  and  it  was  about  twenty  days  before  my  neck 
healed.  I  had  an  easy  time  of  it  as  my  regular  duties  fell 
upon  the  new  mate,  and  I  let  him  fill  the  position  without 
molestation  on  my  part.  On  the  latter  part  of  the  passage 
we  had  very  heavy  weather,  but  fortunately  did  not  carry 
away  anything,  either  sails  or  rigging,  and  at  last  arrived 
off  Sandy  Hook.  The  captain  then  gave  me  all  orders  in- 
stead of  the  new  mate,  and  as  we  took  a  towboat  we  were 
soon  at  the  wharf  in  New  York.  As  soon  as  we  were 
made  fast  the  captain  discharged  the  whole  crew,  mate  and 
all.  After  discharging  the  cargo,  Captain  Nash  went  home 
to  Harrington,  Maine,  and  sent  on  a  Captain  Roberts  to 
command  her  in  his  place.  After  he  arrived  we  chartered 
to  load  coal  at  Port  Johnson,  New  Jersey,  for  Salem,  Mass. 

After  we  finished  loading  we  shipped  a  second  mate  and 
four  sailors  and  a  steward.  We  towed  to  Port  Johnson,  a 
distance  of  about  four  miles.  Our  cargo  consisted  of  about 
five  hundred  and  fifty  tons.  We  again  hired  a  towboat 
and  towed  through  Hurl  Gate.  After  the  towboat  cast 
off  our  lines  we  set  our  sails  and  headed  down  Long  Island 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  77 

sound  towards  our  destination.  We  had  a  very  pleasant 
run  all  the  way.  On  arriving  at  Salem  we  were  fortunate 
in  discharging  below  the  bridge,  as  vessels  heavily  laden 
many  times  have  hard  work  in  getting  up  to  the  wharves 
above  the  bridge,  and  they  must  catch  the  tide  at  its  full, 
as  at  low  water  the  water  about  all  flows  out,  and  if  a 
vessel  gets  caught  above  on  her  way  to  the  wharf  when  the 
tide  is  going  out  she  remains  in  the  thick  mud,  when  at 
extreme  low  water  there  is  scarcely  water  enough  for  a 
duck  to  swim  in.  Many  times  a  towboat  will  start  with 
a  loaded  vessel  and  probably  get  about  half  way  to  the 
wharf  when  the  muddy  water  soon  tells  them  they  had 
better  let  go  and  get  into  deep  water  themselves  or  else 
they  will  have  to  lie  in  the  mud. 

By  being  left  in  the  mud  quite  a  distance  from  the  wharf 
means  hard  work  for  the  sailors,  because  as  soon  as  it  is 
high  water  one  must  take  the  boat  and  scull  with  a  line 
from  one  side  to  the  other  while  those  on  board  haul  her 
along  until  she  is  made  fast.  So  I  considered  ourselves 
very  fortunate  in  discharging  below  the  bridge.  As  soon 
as  we  were  made  fast  to  the  wharf  the  captain  discharged 
all  hands  but  myself,  and  made  a  visit  to  his  home  while  I 
superintended  the  discharging  and  taking  in  ballast. 
When  he  arrived  I  concluded  to  leave  the  vessel,  so  my 
wife  and  I  took  the  train  for  New  Bedford.  I  remained 
at  home  a  short  time  and  then  started  into  the  fish  business, 
but  I  did  not  succeed  very  well,  so  I  sold  out  and  gave  it 
up.  I  then  hired  out  to  work  in  a  junk  store,  where  I  re- 
mained a  few  months,  but  it  was  not  agreeable  to  me  as  I 
was  not  used  to  working  on  shore. 

I  had  for  years  been  thinking  about  crossing  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  in  a  small  boat,  in  fact  I  was  very  anxious  to  out- 
strip  any  attempt  that  had  ever  been  made.  Anyone  would 
naturally  think  that  knowing  what  the  ocean  was  by  living 


78  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

on  it  so  many  years  would  banish  all  thoughts  of  any  such 
attempt,  but  not  so  with  me.  I  was  venturesome  and 
daring  and  I  thought  if  I  could  manage  to  eclipse  all 
others  I  could  make  considerable  money  by  so  doing.  I 
knew  it  would  be  a  daring  feat,  had  it  not  been  I  don't 
think  I  would  have  pondered  over  it  as  much  as  I  did. 
The  more  I  thought  of  it  the  more  decided  and  determined 
I  became. 

While  working  in  the  junk  store,  unbeknown  to  every- 
body but  my  wife,  I  perfected  my  plans  of  a  boat  that  I 
considered  capable  of  crossing  from  this  country  to  Eng- 
land in.  After  looking  over  my  plans  very  carefully  for 
several  days  I  considered  them  perfect  in  every  particular. 
I  formed  them  partially  on  the  plan  of  a  whaleboat,  as 
they  were  the  most  seaworthy  of  any  kind  ever  built ;  in 
fact  they  could  hardly  be  improved  upon.  But  as  I  should 
have  to  live  right  in  her  I  had  to  form  my  plans  accord- 
ingly. After  satisfying  myself  that  everything  was  as  I 
wanted  it,  I  took  my  plans  to  a  boat-builder  named  Samuel 
Mitchell,  on  Fish  Island,  in  the  Acushnet  river,  adjoining 
New  Bedford,  by  a  bridge.  He  had  become  famous  as  a 
whaleboat  builder,  and  for  that  reason,  coupled  with  my 
acquaintance  with  him,  I  employed  him  to  build  my  boat 
exactly  as  I  had  planned  her. 

I  do  not  remember  whether  any  conversation  ever  passed 
between  us  in  regard  to  what  use  I  intended  to  put  her  to 
or  not,  as  I  was  very  careful  not  to  speak  of  it  to  anyone, 
even  to  my  employers  and  fellow  workmen.  She  was  com- 
pleted about  the  tenth  of  May,  1877,  so  I  removed  her 
from  his  shop  and  stowed  her  away  for  a  few  days.  On 
the  following  Saturday  night  I  informed  my  employers 
that  1  did  not  intend  to  work  for  them  any  longer,  when, 
as  was  natural,  they  asked  my  reasons  for  leaving  them, 
and  I  told  them  I  was  going  to  sea  again.     I  did  not  tell 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  79 

them  that  I  was  going  in  my  dory  boat,  but  the  following 
day,  Sunday,  they  and  nearly  everybody  else  in  New  Bed- 
ford heard  of  it,  and  a  desire  to  see  the  boat  took  pos- 
session of  everybody.  Everybody  had  something  to  talk 
about,  so  it  was  as  well,  or  better,  advertised  than  if  it 
had  been  published  in  the  newspapers. 

It  was  the  topic  of  the  day,  and  many  shook  their  heads 
as  much  as  to  say,  he  must  be  crazy ;  but  whether  I  was 
considered  so  or  not,  the  object  of  my  desire  for  years  was 
about  to  be  tested,  and  nothing  could  change  my  mind. 
As  I,  like  all  sailors,  had  spent  my  earnings  as  fast  as  I 
made  them,  I  wanted  to  get  a  little  ahead  for  a  rainy  day, 
and  I  thought  if  I  could  only  succeed  I  could  exhibit  the 
boat  and  myself,  and  by  charging  a  small  fee  for  admission 
I  could  make  a  little  money.  The  ocean  had  never  been 
crossed  in  so  small  a  craft,  and  has  not  since,  as  mine  was 
the  only  one  of  her  size  that,  to  my  knowledge,  ever  made 
the  attempt. 

My  intentions  were  to  go  from  New  Bedford,  Massa- 
chusetts, to  England,  and  the  most  important  feature  of  the 
trip  was  that,  owing  to  the  boat  being  so  small,  I  could 
not  carry  a  chronometer,  so  the  voyage  must  be  made  by 
dead  reckoning,  depending  on  passing  vessels  to  furnish 
me  with  my  position,  as  the  captains  always  know  just 
what  latitude  and  longitude  they  are  in,  and  about  the  dis- 
tance from  port,  so  my  readers  can  see  what  a  seemingly 
rash  undertaking  I  was  about ;  yet  I  was  confident  of  suc- 
cess, and  never  for  a  moment  doubted  my  reaching  Eng- 
land in  safety.  I  was  positive  my  little  boat  could  live 
where  a  large  vessel  could,  and  I  scanned  her  with  a  long- 
ing akin  to  love,  as  a  good  boat  is  a  sailor's  paradise. 


So  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 


CHAPTER   IV. 

ACROSS    THE    ATLANTIC    OCEAN    IN    A    DORY    BOAT. 

As  I  began  to  make  preparations  to  rig  my  boat  with 
her  masts  and  sails,  my  wife  was  all  anxiety  about  my 
intended  trip,  and  the  idea  preyed  on  her  mind  until  at 
last  she  informed  me  that  if    I  went   she  should    go  too. 

This  was  something  I  had  not  thought  of  for  a  moment ; 
and,  again,  how  could  two  go  with  such  a  small  craft,  with 
hardly  room  for  one  and  turn  around?  But  there  I  was, 
face  to  it,  and  I  knew  my  wife's  courage,  as  I  had  seen  it 
tested,  and  I  knew,  without  argument,  that  when  she  said 
she  was  going  she  meant  it,  and  that  settled  it.  There 
was  no  use  trying  to  dissuade  her,  as  it  would  only  be 
wasting  breath,  so  I  took  the  matter  as  coolly  as  possible. 
Had  I  known  things  would  have  taken  such  a  turn  I  would 
have  had  my  boat  built  a  trifle  larger  on  her  account ;  but 
it  could  not  be  done  now,  as  she  was  all  built. 

My  readers  can  see  how  cramped  we  would  be  for  room, 
as  I  had  the  boat  built  just  nineteen  feet  and  seven  inches 
long,  six  feet  and  two  inches  wide,  and  thirty  inches  deep, 
and  she  only  drew  thirteen  inches  of  water,  with  us  and 
everything  on  board.  Her  foremast  was  twenty-one  and 
one-half  feet  long,  and  the  mainmast  was  twenty  and  one- 
half  feet  long.  Her  main  boom  was  about  ten  feet  long, 
the  foresail  contained  fifteen  yards  of  light  duck,  and  the 
mainsail  ten  yards.  Just  twenty-five  yards  of  sail  to  carry 
two  people  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean !  Just  think  of 
it !  Her  measurements  were  one  ton  and  sixty-two  one- 
hundredths  of  a  ton,  her  actual  weight  being  about  five 
hundred  pounds.  She  was  decked  over  on  top,  and  had 
two  scuttles,  one  forward  and  one  aft.  The  one  aft  I  had 
to  sit  in  to  steer,  so  my  readers  can  see  plainly  what  a  large 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  8 1 

amount  of  room  we  had  to  eat,  drink  and  sleep- in.  It  was 
a  vast  difference  between  our  limited  accommodations  and 
the  comforts  of  a  palatial  steamer  to  cross  to  England. 

I  rigged  her  as  I  intended,  and  had  her  photographed  on 
Fish  Island  before  launching  her  ;  the  accompanying  picture 
below  shows  her  exactly  as  she  looked  with  myself  and 
wife  on  board.  I  then  launched  her,  and  the  following 
Monday  put  my  kegs  which  were  to  contain  fresh  water  for 
drinking  purposes  on  board  in  position,  and  again  she  was 
photographed.  I  gave  it  out  that  I  with  my  wife  would 
start  on  the  28th  of  that  month  (May).  My  intentions 
were  to  have  a  trial  trip  in  her,  but  I  did  not  get  a  chance. 
I  kept  her  moored  at  Fish  Island,  and  the  following  Sunday 
the  Reverend  James  Butler,  of  the  Seamen's  Bethel,  held 
religious  services  on  the  Island,  which  were  largely  attended, 
as  it  looked  as  though  the  whole  city  had  turned  out. 

The  next  day  I  put  on  board  our  provisions,  which  con- 
sisted of  ninety  pounds  of  biscuits,  seventy-five  pounds  of 
canned  meats,  and  one  hundred  gallons  of  fresh  water  for 
drinking  purposes  and  for  making  tea  or  coffee.  We  also 
carried  a  sufficient  quantity  of  tea,  coffee,  sugar  and  other 
light  articles.  The  two  scuttles  I  mentioned  were  eighteen 
by  twenty-four  inches  in  size,  and  the  one  where  Captain 
Crapo  would  sit  to  steer  was  to  be  used  for  a  dining  table 
(meaning,  of  course,  the  sliding  cover). 

The  report  of  our  intended  voyage  spread  like  wildfire, 
and  the  papers  everywhere  published  more  or  less  in  regard 
to  it,  and  I  will  give  my  readers  the  benefit  of  one  which 
appeared  in  the  New  York  Times  which  read  as  follows  : 

"It  is  reported  that  a  New  Bedford  sea  captain  has 
started  with  his  wife  on  a  very  perilous  expedition.  He 
has  undertaken  to  cross  the  Atlantic  in  a  small  boat  of  two 
tons  burden  and  measuring  about  twenty  feet,  and  of  course 
he  has  been  called  a  bold  and  reckless  man  by  all  the  papers 


82  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

which  have  written  on  the  subject.  That  this  is  a  correct 
estimate  of  his  character  the  New  York  Times  feels  more 
than  assured." 

These  words  the  Journal  thinks  hardly  do  justice  to  his 
courage ;  though  this  is  not  so  much  shown,  the  writer 
imagines,  in  the  fact  of  his  attempting  to  cross  the  ocean 
in  a  small  boat  as  in  his  taking  his  wife  with  him  on  so 
long  and  lonely  a  voyage.  Very  few  husbands  and  wives 
have  been  in  each  other's  company  or  society  without  rest  or 
intermission  for  forty  days,  and  the  New  York  Times  does 
not  believe  that  this  can  be  made  to  answer. 

When  nature  placed  men's  offices  in  town  and  their  homes 
in  the  suburbs  she  made  provision  for  temporary  separations 
which  are  absolutely  necessary.  Married  people  living  on 
shore  can  always  escape  from  each  other' s  society  on  certain 
occasions  when  escape  seems  desirable,  but  in  a  small  boat 
this  is  out  of  the  question.  When,  goaded  by  the  refusal  of 
the  galley  fire  to  burn,  she  begins  an  exhaustive  analysis  of 
the  captain's  character  and  gradually  shows  that  he  is  a 
brutal  and  loathsome  tyrant,  he  will  be  compelled  to  listen. 

There  is  not  a  nook  or  corner  of  the  boat  to  which  the 
clear  tones  of  an  earnest  woman  will  not  penetrate.  When 
in  his  turn  he  finds  the  coffee  somewhat  cold,  and  thereupon 
expresses  with  all  the  resources  of  forcible  language  at  the 
command  of  an  experienced  sailor,  the  conviction  that  there 
is  no  crime,  from  murder  up  to  frying  beefsteak,  of  which 
she  is  not  capable,  she  must  either  listen  or  jump  overboard. 

At  first  all  may  go  well,  that  is  to  say,  very  much  at  first 
— quite  at  the  beginning  of  the  voyage.  Perhaps  for  the 
first  two  days  they  may  be  happy ;  but  about  the  third  day 
the  writer  is  afraid  that  a  sunburnt  nose  does  not  add  to  his 
wife's  attractiveness,  and  she,  on  her  part,  will  ask  herself 
if  it  is  possible  for  a  woman  to  respect  a  man  who  uses 
tobacco.     Such  little  differences  will  surely  arise,  and  the 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  S3 

remedy  of  a  temporary  separation  being  impossible,  a  week 
— but  a  small  portion  of  the  forty  days  the  voyage  is  to  take 
if  all  goes  well — will  probably  land  them  in  the  middle  of 
a  considerable  "  row." 

The  New  York  Times  therefore  predicts  that  the  journey 
will  not  be  made,  and  pictures  the  travelers  returning  to  the 
starting  place,  after  a  short  absence,  when  the  husband  will 
spring  to  land  and  make  straight  for  Siberia  by  the  shortest 
route ;  and  the  wife  will  rush  to  torrid  zones  with  at  least 
equal  rapidity,  after,  perhaps,  having  had  one  final  claw  at 
the  departing  mariner. 

As  the  greater  portion  of  our  food  was  cooked  and  in 
cans,  we  merely  had  to  warm  it  up  when  required  to  serve. 
As  cooking  to  any  extent  would  be  entirely  out  of  the  ques- 
tion, as  our  stove  was  a  small  kerosene  lamp  stove  made  to 
hold  a  pint  of  oil,  so  my  readers  can  plainly  see  what  dis- 
advantages we  were  about  to  undergo,  but  our  accommoda- 
tions were  limited,  so  of  course  we  had  to  get  along  the 
best  we  could.  And  again,  we  were  more  or  less  afraid  of 
an  explosion,  as  the  boat,  in  heavy  weather  especially,  would 
jump  and  roll  about  so  as  to  make  it  unsafe  to  put  much  oil 
in  at  a  time,  so  we  never  put  in  more  than  a  gill  at  any  time. 

This  being  the  day  set  for  sailing,  we  had  to  hurry  in 
order  to  make  our  start  without  disappointing  the  multi- 
tude of  people  collected  on  the  wharves  and  vessels,  and 
especially  in  row  and  sailboats,  which  were  very  numerous. 
In  fact,  I  never  before  or  since  saw  so  many  boats  on  the 
river  on  any  occasion.  And  as  it  had  been  published  in  the 
papers,  many  people  came  on  the  noon  train  to  see  us. 
Ladies,  especially,  would  force  themselves  through  the 
crowd  in  order  to  get  near  enough  to  shake  hands  with  my 
wife,  and  many  there  were  more  than  surprised  to  see  the 
miniature  boat  we  were  going  in.  Surprise  and  wonder 
could  be  seen  pictured  on  their  faces,  and  no  doubt  a  great 


S4  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

many  of  them  were  saying  to  themselves,  they  will  not  go 
far  on  that  little  boat  and  will  soon  be  back  again,  the 
laughing  stock  of  the  community.  The  most  noticeable  of 
all  at  this  time  was  an  old  lady  that  I  think  arrived  on  the 
train  who  forced  her  way  to  the  side  of  my  wife.  Her  gray 
hair  denoted  the  passing  of  many  summers  and  as  many 
dreary  winters.  She  shook  the  hand  of  my  wife  in  a  very 
affectionate  manner,  saying  :  "  My  dear  child,  are  you  not 
afraid  to  trust  yourself  in  such  a  small  boat,  on  such  a 
dangerous  undertaking?  You  are  young  and  very  brave, 
and  I  earnestly  hope  you  will  merit  what  you  deserve." 

My  old  father  was  as  near  us  and  our  boat  as  he  could 
possibly  get,  crying  and  wringing  his  hands  in  a  manner 
pitiful  to  see  in  an  old  man  of  his  years,  and  constantly 
saying,  "The  two  foolish  children,  I  shall  never  see  them 
again."  All  this  time  I  was  getting  our  things  on  board, 
and  as  it  was  nearing  our  time  of  starting  I  did  not  have 
time  to  stow  things  as  they  should  be.  My  drogue,  line 
and  anchor,  compass  and  water  kegs  and  many  other 
smaller  articles  were  presented  to  me  by  friends.  Many  of 
my  wife's  friends  were  trying  to  persuade  her  from  making 
the  attempt,  but  to  no  avail.  She  was  as  determined  as  I 
was.  All  this  time  the  crowd  was  growing  larger,  as  many 
quit  work  to  see  us  off. 

At  last  I  was  ready  to  cast  off,  and  was  about  to  do  so 
when  Captain  Humphrey  Seabury  of  New  Bedford,  a  well 
known  and  respected  citizen,  appeared  and  presented  me 
with  a  compass  that  had  probably  been  used  on  more  than 
one  whaleship,  and  was  a  reliable  one  at  all  times,  and  I 
was  more  than  pleased  to  receive  it.  He  also  gave  me  two 
charts  and  an  old  fashioned  square  lantern,  the  fore  side  of 
glass  fitted  to  slide  out  when  necessary  to  clean.  It  was 
fitted  to  burn  candles  in,  and  he  also  gave  me  a  quantity  of 
candles  to  burn  in  it.     He,  being  an  old  sea  captain,  knew 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  85 

what  would  be  the  most  essential  at  such  a  time,  and  I  was 
very  thankful  to  him  for  them.  As  soon  as  I  cast  off  our 
line  a  general  hurrah  was  given  and  handkerchiefs  were 
waving  everywhere.  The  yachts  at  their  moorings  fired  a 
salute  as  we  passed  and  many  boats  sailed  down  the  bay  in 
company  with  us,  the  boats  in  the  harbor  being  so  thick  as 
to  make  it  almost  impossible  to  get  through,  and  all  of  them 
wanted  to  keep  as  near  to  us  as  they  possibly  could. 

As  my  boat  was  so  small  the  Custom  House  officials 
could  not  issue  marine  documents  to  me,  so  I  carried  the 
following  letter  : — 

Custom  House,  New  Bedford,  Mass. 

Collector's  Office,  May  28th,  1877. 

Captain  Thomas  Crapo  and  his  wife,  both  of  this  city, 
being  about  to  sail  from  this  port  in  a  boat  called  the  "  New 
Bedford,"  measuring  iT6/(y  tons,  bound  for  London,  Eng- 
land, requests  me  to  give  him  a  letter,  as,  on  account  of  the 
small  size  of  his  vessel,  I  cannot  issue  "  marine  documents." 

I,  therefore,  desire  to  make  it  known  to  "all  whom  it 
may  concern  "  that  Captain  Crapo  is  well  known  here,  and 
his  purpose  is  entirely  legitimate,  and  he  has  the  good 
wishes  of  this  community  that  his  voyage  may  be  success- 
fully accomplished. 

J.  A.  P.  ALLEN, 

Collector  of  Customs. 

As  we  had  hurriedly  put  our  things  on  board  they  were 
not  stowed  as  we  intended  to  have  them,  as  at  present 
they  were  all  in  a  heap.  While  we  must  make  some 
preparations  for  trimming  the  boat  I  found  I  should  have 
to  anchor  or  run  in  to  some  port,  and  as  I  perceived  she 
was  leaking  considerable  on  account  of  not  having  been 
in  the  water  long  enough  to  swell  her  tight,  I  decided  to 
run  in  at  Vineyard  Haven  for  the  night.     In  crossing  the 


86  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

bay  the  wind  blew  quite  fresh  from  the  southwest  and  the 
boat  behaved  very  creditably.  As  we  arrived  off  Woods 
Holl  the  wharves  everywhere  were  black  with  people,  as 
telegrams  had  been  sent  to  them  to  be  on  the  lookout  for 
us,  and  cheer  upon  cheer  rent  the  air  while  hats  and 
handkerchiefs  were  waving  from  every  available  point. 

We  continued  on  to  Vineyard  Haven  and  ran  up  along- 
side of  the  wharf,  when  I  found  that  the  boat  had  leaked 
more  than  a  foot  of  water,  and  had  wet  our  bedding  and 
other  things.  A  very  enthusiastic  crowd  of  people  met 
us  and  gave  us  a  hearty  welcome.  It  was  about  six 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  we  arrived,  and  as  night 
was  fast  approaching  and  I  wanted  to  get  away  as  soon 
as  possible  I  began  taking  the  things  out  to  dry,  and  after 
they  were  removed  I  had  a  tin  pump  made  to  pump  her 
out  with.  We  also  disposed  of  a  large  quantity  of  photo- 
graphs of  the  boat  with  ourselves  on  board.  We  were 
also  invited  to  go  to  the  hotel  called  the  Mansion  House, 
which  invitation  we  gratefully  accepted,  especially  as  it 
was  tendered  to  us  as  a  compliment  by  the  people  of 
Vineyard  Haven. 

After  we  arrived  we  had  tea  and  adjourned  to  the  hotel 
parlors,  where  we  were  asked  all  sorts  of  questions  rela- 
tive to  our  intended  trip.  We  retired  early  in  order  to 
get  as  much  sleep  as  possible,  as  it  would  probably  be  a 
long  time,  if  ever,  before  we  would  again  sleep  in  a  nice 
comfortable  bed.  We  arose  about  daylight,  and  after  par- 
taking of  a  breakfast  we  walked  down  towards  our  little 
boat,  followed  by  a  very  eager  throng  of  people.  On 
arriving  we  found  that  many  of  our  things  were  still  damp, 
so  we  waited  for  them  to  dry.  About  nine  o'clock  I  found 
that  our  things  were  about  dry,  so  we  put  them  on  board 
again,  and  was  about  to  cast  off,  when  the  Reverend  L.  R. 
Wait,  of  Vineyard  Haven,  delivered  a  short  speech,  and  at 


CAPT.   THOS.   CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  87 

the  close  of  his  remarks  he  handed  my  wife  a  letter,  telling 
her  to  open  it  at  sea. 

This  was  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  May,  1877.  We  then 
cast  off  our  lines  and  hoisted  our  sails,  amid  cheers  from 
the  crowd  assembled  on  the  wharf.  The  wind  was  from 
the  southward  and  westward,  and  was  blowing  quite  fresh. 
Handkerchiefs  and  hats  continued  to  wave  nearly  as  long 
as  we  could  see  the  wharf.  Quite  a  fleet  of  vessels  were 
at  anchor  in  the  harbor,  the  crews  of  which  also  cheered 
us  lustily  as  we  passed  them.  We  headed  direct  towards 
Chatham,  on  Cape  Cod,  by  crossing  Vineyard  Sound  close 
in  towards  the  north  shore.  We  had  comparatively  calm 
water.  Our  colors  flying  informed  the  people  on  shore 
who  we  were,  and  those  that  did  see  us  cheered  as  we 
passed  by  them.  Our  leg  of  mutton  sails  were,  no  doubt, 
a  strange  sight  to  many,  as  none  of  that  make  are  used 
around  here  or  there ;  but  they  are  used  extensively  by  the 
inhabitants  of  islands  in  mid-ocean,  as  they  hold  the  wind 
below,  instead  of  aloft,  therefore  they  are  considered  far 
safer. 

The  report  of  our  coming  seemed  to  have  preceded  us, 
as  on  our  arrival,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  we 
were  met  by  a  multitude  of  people.  When  running  in  we 
struck  several  times  on  sand  bars,  but  did  not  do  any 
damage  to  our  boat.  As  we  stepped  on  shore  we  were 
surrounded  by  a  large  number  of  inquiring  people,  that 
asked  all  manner  of  questions  relative  to  our  intended 
trip  across  the  Atlantic.  We  could  only  answer  them 
civilly,  and  Captain  Darius  Hammond  extended  an  invita- 
tion to  us  to  make  his  home  ours  during  our  stay,  which 
must  be  short,  at  best,  as  we  were  anxious  to  be  on  our 
way.  We  accepted  this  kind  invitation  in  the  same  spirit 
as  it  was  tendered,  and  then  proceeded  to  his  home,  but  a 
short  distance  awray. 


88  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

The  next  morning  the  captain  and  myself  went  around 
to  find  a  carpenter,  as  I  wanted  to  make  a  few  alterations 
to  my  boat.  The  two  scuttles  which  I  spoke  of  in  the 
first  part  of  this  adventure  were  cut  out  eighteen  by 
twenty-four  inches,  and  the  top  was  rather  too  low  to  suit 
us,  as  we  wanted  them  somewhat  higher  and  fitted  so  they 
would  slide.  We  were  at  last  fortunate  in  finding  a  man 
that  could  do  it  at  once,  so  he  set  to  work  and  put  comb- 
ings around  each,  and  fitted  them  as  we  wanted  them. 
After  this  was  completed  I  also  had  two  hundred  pounds 
of  iron  put  in  for  ballast,  as  what  we  had  was  not  sufficient 
to  keep  her  steady.  After  this  was  completed,  I  had  a 
painter  to  paint  her  a  good  thick  coat,  to  make  her  water- 
tight, if  possible,  as  I  did  not  care  about  having  too  much 
water  inside,  as  we  did  not  have  any  room  for  it,  and  it 
was  not  to  our  liking,  as  there  would  be  plenty  all  around 
us,  in  case  we  needed  it  for  anything. 

Repairs  and  painting  were  finished  on  the  first  of  June, 
and  the  next  day,  June  2d,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
we  hove  up  our  anchor,  and  as  we  would  have  to  proceed 
through  a  very  narrow  passage,  a  man  volunteered  to  tow 
us  out  with  his  dory.  The  crowd  on  shore  gave  three 
rousing  cheers  as  we  started,  and  hats  and  handkerchiefs 
were  waving  all  along  the  shore.  We  carried  from  there 
two  letters  that  were  handed  to  us  by  a  Captain  Taylor 
(whose  son  was  in  Liverpool,  England),  who  requested  me 
to  mail  them  as  soon  as  we  landed. 

On  arriving  in  deep  water,  our  pilot  left  us,  with  our 
thanks  for  his  favor,  and  we  then  squared  off  for  our  desti- 
nation, England.  From  this  time  until  our  arrival  we  were 
to  undergo  what  we  had  never  dreamed  of.  Just  imagine 
to  yourself  what  it  would  be  in  pleasant  weather,  to  be 
several  miles  out  of  sight  of  land,  in  a  small  boat,  just  for 
one  day  and  night.     You  would  think  it  the  longest  night 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  89 

you  had  ever  seen.  Yet  here  we  were,  sailing  across  the 
boundless  waste  of  waters,  all  the  time  going  farther  and 
farther  away,  and  whatever  the  weather  should  be, — rain, 
thunder  and  lightning,  or  a  heavy  gale  of  wind, — we 
would  have  to  grin  and  take  it  as  it  came ;  the  thought 
was  not  very  inviting,  to  say  the  least. 

We  started  on  our  course  with  a  moderate  south  wind, 
and  a  comparatively  smooth  sea.  Land  faded  from  our 
view  about  five  o'clock,  and  the  sun  soon  began  to  draw 
close  to  the  horizon,  which  plainly  told  us  that  night  was 
fast  approaching.  At  last  it  sank  below  the  surface,  and 
darkness  soon  settled  over  us.  I  found  it  hard  work  to 
keep  awake,  but  I  knew  that  I  must  exert  myself  to  do  so. 
Mrs.  Crapo  retired  early,  which  left  me  alone  with  nothing 
but  water  in  sight.  The  wind  was  blowing  about  what  is 
called  a  three  knot  breeze,  and  the  little  boat  skimmed 
over  the  surface  of  the  water  like  a  duck.  Mrs.  Crapo' s 
apartments  were  not  large  enough  for  her  to  lose  herself 
in  when  she  lay  down  to  sleep.  Her  feet  rested  on  the 
water  kegs,  and  should  she  desire  to  turn  over  she  would 
first  have  to  rise  ;  so  my  readers  can  form  an  idea  what 
limited  accommodations  we  were  subjected  to,  and  must 
put  up  with  for  a  considerable  length  of  time. 

At  last  signs  of  daylight  appeared,  and  as  the  black  pall 
of  night  was  lifted  nothing  but  a  dreary  waste  of  water 
could  be  seen  on  every  hand.  Soon  the  welcome  voice  of 
my  partner,  bidding  me  good  morning,  was  heard,  which 
was  pleasant  to  hear  at  such  a  time.  Soon  the  glorious 
orb  of  day  rose  in  all  its  majestic  splendor,  and  it  was  a 
pretty  sight  to  see  bright  rays  along  the  water  glistening 
and  sparkling  like  burnished  gold. 

We  soon  began  preparations  for  our  first  breakfast. 
Mrs.  Crapo  put  a  gill  of  oil  in  our  lamp  stove,  and  lighted 
it,  preparatory  to  making  coffee.      She  then  unearthed  our 


90  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

monster  coffeepot,  which,  when  full,  held  but  a  pint,  and 
very  soon  the  pleasant  aroma  of  boiling  coffee  greeted  our 
nostrils,  and  it  made  us  hungry  to  think  of  it.  My  appe- 
tite was  somewhat  sharpened,  and  as  soon  as  all  was  in 
readiness  I  was  ready  to  do  justice  to  it  by  eating  a  good 
hearty  meal ;  and  we  both  felt  in  better  trim  to  endure 
whatever  it  was  our  lot  to  face,  as  nothing  excels  a  full 
stomach  on  any  occasion,  especially  as  we  were  alone,  and 
as  you  may  say  had  nothing  to  do  but  eat,  drink  and  sleep. 
Yet  I  had  to  steer  the  boat  as  straight  towards  our  destina- 
tion as  possible,  at  all  times ;  even  while  eating  I  kept  her 
on  her  course. 

I  wish  further  to  inform  my  readers  how  we  had  to 
make  our  coffee.  As  the  motion  of  the  boat  rendered  it 
unsafe  to  leave  a  lighted  lamp  stove  anywhere  unattended, 
my  wife  placed  it  between  my  feet,  so  the  motion  of  the 
boat  would  not  have  any  effect  upon  it,  as  no  one  knows 
when  they  will  explode.  It  would,  I  am  sure,  make  a 
person  laugh  to  see  us  preparing  our  meals ;  but  it  was  our 
only  source,  as  our  kitchen,  pantry,  sitting-room,  dining- 
room,  and  parlor,  were  all  connected,  and  it  did  not  take 
us  long  to  go  to  any  part  of  the  house.  Should  my  wife 
be  reading  in  the  sitting-room  or  parlor,  I  could  summon 
her  at  any  time  by  merely  whispering,  so  we  had  no  use 
for  speaking  tubes. 

After  we  had  finished  our  morning  meal,  the  utensils  for 
preparing  it  were  again  put  away,  and  we  passed  the  long 
hours  of  the  morning  (we  did  not  expect  any  callers  so  did 
not  put  ourselves  out  any  in  making  any  useless  prepara- 
tions) in  relating  little  incidents  connected  with  our  at- 
tempted voyage.  Thus  the  day  wore  on,  and  as  the  only 
reading  matter  we  had  with  us  was  a  Bible  and  a  few 
tracts,  we  had  to  converse  on  different  subjects,  as  the  time 
began  to  hang  heavy  as   the  sun  passed    over  our  heads. 


\ 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  9 1 

This  being  the  third  of  June,  and  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  I  concluded  to  heave  the  boat  to  and  have  a 
short  nap,  as  I  had  steered  from  our  starting  the  day  pre- 
vious, making  a  total  of  twenty-six  consecutive  hours  with- 
out rest,  and  tired  nature  began  to  assert  her  rights.  So 
I  lowered  the  foresail  and  hauled  aft  the  main  sheet,  and 
then  curled  myself  up  for  a  snooze,  and  it  did  not  take  me 
long  to  pass  the  portals  of  sweet  sleep,  as  I  was  very  tired, 
as  there  was  not  much  chance  to  move  my  limbs  while 
steering. 

While  I  was  sleeping  the  vessel  was  in  charge  of  my 
mate,  who  had  proven  herself  to  be  an  accomplished  sailor. 
I  slept  until  about  eight  o'clock,  when  I  hoisted  my  fore- 
sail and  slacked  off  my  main  sheet  and  again  headed  for 
England,  the  land  of  roses,  which  lay  about  east  by  north 
from  us.  The  weather  continued  to  be  fair  but  the  nights 
were  very  chilly.  My  mate  again  retired  early,  which  left 
me  monarch  of  all  I  surveyed,  and  with  a  good  four  knot 
breeze  we  went  skimming  along,  the  only  thing  to  break 
the  monotony  was  the  noise  of  the  boat  cutting  through  the 
water.  I  eagerly  watched  for  signs  of  daylight,  as  I  knew 
that  a  cup  of  good  hot  coffee  would  not  only  refresh  but 
drive  the  chilly,  numb  feeling  away.  As  I  sat  cramped  all 
up  in  such  a  small  space  so  long  it  was  a  luxury  to  get  a 
chance  to  stretch  my  legs  and  arms. 

At  last  the  morning  of  June  fourth  greeted  us  with  a 
four  knot  wind  and  water  about  the  same  as  on  the  preced- 
ing day.  On  casting  our  eyes  about  we  sighted  a  number 
of  fishing  vessels  anchored  on  what  is  called  the  "George's 
Banks."  We  ran  up  to  one,  which  proved  to  be  the 
schooner  A.  J.  Chapman,  of  New  London,  Conn.,  fishing 
for  halibut.  The  crew  at  the  time  were  absent  in  the 
dories  attending  to  their  trawls,  so  the  captain  was  the  only 
one  we  saw  on  board.     He  asked  us  where  we  were  bound 


92  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

and  numerous  other  questions.  He  also  coaxed  us  to  come 
on  board  and  get  a  cup  of  good  hot  coffee,  but  as  we  had 
just  had  some  we  respectfully  declined  the  invitation  with 
thanks.  He  then  proposed  for  us  to  come  on  board  and 
stretch  our  limbs,  but  this  we  also  declined.  So  we  bade 
him  good-bye  and  sailed  on  our  course. 

In  the  afternoon  we  sighted  two  vessels  on  the  wind 
making  to  the  southward  and  westward  and  about  four 
miles  from  us.  About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  I 
again  hove  the  boat  to  and  took  another  nap  until  eight  in 
the  evening,  which  made  another  twenty  hours  of  steering 
without  rest.  About  this  time  my  wife  began  to  feel  a 
little  qualmish,  as  the  motion  of  the  boat  was  considerable 
quicker  than  a  large  vessel,  and  as  the  boat  had  begun 
to  dance  considerably  it  had  the  above-mentioned  effect 
on  her. 

The  following  was  taken  from  a  New  York  paper  and 
printed  in  the  New  Bedford  Standard,  which  was  mailed 
to  me  in  England  : 

The  "New  Bedford." 

Fishing  schooner  A.  J.  Chapman,  which  arrived  at  New 
York,  from  George's  Banks,  Wednesday,  reports  speaking 
the  New  Bedford  June  fourth,  lat.  41.55,  Ion.  67.10. 
Captain  Crapo  and  wife  were  well.  This,  however,  was 
two  or  three  days  previous  to  the  date  the  New  Bedford 
was  spoken,  which  was  before  reported. 

When  I  awoke  we  again  made  sail  and  sailed  on  our 
course,  and  as  my  wife  was  getting  quite  nervous  she  re- 
mained up  instead  of  going  to  bed.  She  kept  me  company 
until  nearly  daylight,  when  tired  nature  gave  way  and  she 
lay  down  to  sleep,  and  after  a  short  time  I  hove  the  boat  to 
and  took  a  nap  myself.  The  wind  still  held  to  the  west- 
ward and  the  sea  was  quite  calm.      This  was  on  the  fifth 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE. 


93 


of  June,  our  third  day  from  Chatham.  We  sailed  along 
all  day  without  seeing  anything  more  than  gulls  and  por- 
poises, which  were  quite  numerous.  Again  another  night 
closed  in  and  the  ripple  of  the  water  against  the  boat  was 
all  there  was  to  break  the  monotony.  As  Mrs.  Crapo  re- 
mained awake  it  made  the  time  pass  more  pleasantly,  as 
the  nights  seemed  very  long.  The  next  day,  June  the 
sixth,  the  sun  arose  in  all  its  splendor.  It  was  a  pleasing 
sight  to  watch  it  rise,  seemingly  from  out  the  ocean,  and 
soar  aloft  to  cast  its  pleasant  rays  on  land  and  sea.  As 
there  was  no  sail  in  sight  I  again  hove  the  boat  to  and  took 
a  nap  until  about  eight  o'clock  when  I  again  made  sail  and 
proceeded  on  our  course.  We  saw  a  great  many  storm 
petrel,  better  known  as  Mother  Carey's  chickens.  After 
we  had  got  well  under  way  we  decided  to  open  the  letter 
handed  to  us  at  Vineyard  Haven,  which  we  were  to  open 
and  read  at  sea.  We  broke  the  seal  and  on  opening  it  the 
following  met  our  eyes  : 

Vineyard  Haven,  May  29th,  1877. 

Brother  and  Sister  Crapo : — When  you  are  at  sea  re- 
member you  have  the  prayers  of  millions  to  cheer  you  on 
your  perilous  journey.  We  commend  you  to  the  God  who 
watches  over  you  on  sea  as  well  as  on  the  land.  Commit 
your  ways  to  Him  and  be  calm  in  times  of  danger.  You 
go  with  the  good  wishes  of  many. 

Yours  in  good  feeling, 

Lyman  R.  Wait,  Minister. 

This  was  encouraging,  indeed,  to  think  that,  away  from 
the  bustle  of  the  busy  world,  alone  on  the  broad  expanse 
of  water  many  miles  away  from  home  and  friends,  these 
kind  words  were  felt  with  an  intense  longing  to  shake  the 
hands  of  those  who  would  eagerly  watch  for  reports  from 
us  from  time  to  time,  yet  could  they  but  realize  what  we 


94  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

must  endure  before  reaching  the  goal  we  so  eagerly  sought 
their  anxiety  would  be  far  greater  for  our  safety.  As 
many,  many  times  large  vessels  go  to  sea  and  are  never 
heard  from  again,  either  burned  at  sea  or  wrecked  in  a 
gale.  And  for  us  two  persons  to  venture  in  such  a  frail 
craft  was  what  set  the  millions  of  people  to  wondering 
what  the  result  would  be.  So  we  talked  over  that  letter 
for  quite  a  length  of  time,  as  it  was  a  good  subject  for  us ; 
thus  the  day  passed  and  night  again  spread  her  mantle  over 
the  world. 

We  did  not  mind  the  voyage  by  daylight  but  after  night 
set  in  it  was  far  from  pleasant,  as  in  the  daylight  we  could 
see  whatever  was  within  reach  of  our  sight,  but  darkness 
hid  everything  ;  and  it  is  very  surprising,  when  we  realize 
what  quantities  of  grampus,  porpoise,  blackfish,  school 
killers,  whales,  and  other  large  monsters  there  are  in  the 
ocean,  that  we  were  not  smashed  in  pieces  in  the  night  or 
that  none  of  them  came  up  to  the  surface  under  our  boat, 
which  as  they  cannot  breathe  under  water  they  come  to  the 
surface  to  do  so.  Yet  we  are  pleased  to  say  nothing  of  the 
kind  happened,  and  we  earnestly  hoped  the  balance  of  our 
perilous  journey  would  be  as  safe  for  us.  At  last  the  long 
night  passed  and  daylight  was  upon  us.  After  my  usual 
nap  we  again  proceeded  on  our  journey.  This  being  the 
seventh  of  June  made  it  our  fifth  day  at  sea. 

My  wife  began  to  feel  decidedly  better,  as  she  had  now 
got  used  to  the  motion  of  the  boat,  which  made  it  far 
pleasanter  for  both  of  us.  Nothing  appeared  in  sight  at 
daylight,  or  when  I  awoke  from  my  usual  nap,  and  after 
we  had  partaken  of  our  breakfast  we  continued  on,  with  a 
four-knot  breeze  from  the  southwest.  About  one  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  we  sighted  a  sail,  and  as  it  appeared  to  be 
coming  our  way  we  continued  on  our  course,  and  very 
soon  we  could  see  her  hull  very  plainly.      She  continued  to 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  95 

draw  closer,  so  we  headed  for  her,  and  as  we  drew  close 
up  with  her  I  spoke  her.  She  proved  to  be  the  ship  Gus- 
tave  and  Oscar,  from  Bremen,  bound  to  New  York.  After 
informing  the  captain  of  our  intended  voyage,  I  asked 
him  what  our  position  was.  He  informed  us  that  we  were 
about  two  hundred  miles  due  south  from  Liverpool,  Nova 
Scotia.  We  requested  him  to  report  us,  which  he  prom- 
ised to  do ;  and  below,  kind  reader,  you  will  find  the 
report  he  gave,  which  was  printed  in  a  New  York  paper. 
We  then  parted  company,  receiving  hearty  cheers  from  the 
crew,  and  the  ship's  colors  were  dipped  to  us  as  a  parting 
salute,  and  as  we  were  sailing  in  opposite  directions  it  was 
not  long  before  she  was  entirely  out  of  sight. 

The  report  of  the  ship  Gustave  and  Oscar,  which  was 
printed,  as  the  reader  will  readily  see,  before  the  A.  J. 
Chapman  arrived  in  port ;  therefore,  although  the  Chap- 
man spoke  us  first,  her  report  was  given  to  the  world  after 
the  one  below,  which  read  as  follows,  which  was  copied 
exact  from  the  papers  now  in  my  possession  : 

"The  New  Bedford  Spoken  Five  Days  Out." 

New  York,  June  ioth.  The  ship  Gustave  and  Oscar, 
from  Bremen,  reports  that  on  June  7th,  latitude  42.20, 
longitude  64.22,  spoke  small  two-masted  boat  from  New 
Bedford  for  London,  having  one  man  and  woman  onboard, 
undoubtedly  Captain  Crapo  and  his  wife.  Crapo's  position 
when  spoken  was  at  a  point  nearly  due  south  from  Liver- 
pool, Nova  Scotia,  and  almost  due  east  from  Boston. 
Chatham,  from  whence  he  made  his  last  start,  is  in  longi- 
tude 70,  consequently  he  had,  up  to  the  time  he  was 
spoken,  in  longitude  64.22,  sailed  five  degrees  and  thirty- 
eight  minutes,  or  about  5  2-3  degrees.  Falmouth,  Eng- 
land, where  Mr.  Crapo  intends  stopping,  is  in  about 
longitude  5,   and  the  whole  distance   across   in  a  straight 


96  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

line  from  Chatham  is  about  65  degrees.  The  length  of  a 
degree  of  longitude  in  latitude  42  is  51  1-4  miles,  conse- 
quently the  New  Bedford  had  sailed  when  spoken,  a  little 
over  290  miles  from  Chatham,  out  of  the  3,300  and  over 
which  she  must  sail  before  reaching  Falmouth. 

So  my  readers  can  more  fully  understand  by  this  report 
just  what  our  situation  was  when  spoken,  and  although  we 
had  been  sailing  along  most  of  the  time  for  five  days  when 
spoken  we  had  only  covered  a  very  small  distance,  com- 
paratively. Yet  we  were  in  good  spirits,  and  had  not  at 
this  time  encountered  any  serious  weather,  yet  we  were 
liable  to  at  any  time. 

Shortly  after  she  disappeared  night  again  spread  her 
mantle  over  us.  The  wind  died  down  and  left  the  sea  in 
a  dead  calm,  and  to  make  things  more  uninviting,  a  thick 
fog  set  in,  which  made  us  very  uncomfortable ;  as  my 
readers  can  imagine  what  a  cold,  damp  fog  in  the  night  is, 
especially  out  at  sea  in  a  small  boat.  About  nine  o'clock 
we  were  given  a  surprise  party,  which  at  that  time  was 
not  received  with  much  enthusiasm,  as  we  were  put  to 
considerable  inconvenience,  both  in  mind  and  body,  the 
participants  being  a  large  school  of  sperm  whales,  which 
forced  their  company  upon  us  uninvited. 

This  was  a  bad  predicament  to  be  in,  as  sperm  whales 
are  very  dangerous  at  all  times ;  and  if  one  of  them  should 
by  chance  touch  our  boat  he  would  slash  it  into  fragments 
with  his  flukes.  They  have  very  small  eyes,  and  as  they 
are  quite  a  distance  back  from  the  end  of  the  head,  they 
can  only  see  on  each  side  of  them  ;  so  my  readers  can  just 
imagine  one  of  them  swimming  along,  with  his  large  flat 
nose  bunting  into  our  little  boat,  which  would  undoubtedly 
have  tipped  her  over  and  left  us  to  the  mercy  of  the  whales 
and  sea. 

My  wife  was  very  much  frightened,  and  she  was  not  to 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  97 

blame  for  being  so,  as  our  position  was  rather  precarious. 
She  asked  me  if  there  was  any  danger,  and  of  course  I  did 
not  want  to  make  her  any  worse  by  telling  her  just  what 
danger  we  were  in.  She  wanted  me  to  shoot  them,  or  any- 
thing to  drive  them  away ;  and  as  a  splash  in  the  water  or 
a  strange  noise  will  sometimes  scare  them  off,  I  decided  to 
try  to  get  rid  of  them,  as  many  times  they  came  so  close 
that  the  vapor  they  blow  out,  which  is  their  breath,  would 
blow  over  us  and  the  boat,  like  steam  from  the  spout  of  a 
teakettle,  so  I  made  a  noise  with  my  rudder  which  soon 
had  the  desired  effect.  My  fear  was  that  in  sounding  one 
of  them  might  rise  to  the  surface  under  the  boat,  in  case  of 
which  our  fate  would  never  have  been  known,  as  we  would 
have  been  thrashed  to  pieces  in  their  fury.  And  we  were 
both  easier  in  mind  when  they  left  us,  and  we  surely  did 
not  extend  to  them  an  invitation  to  call  again,  as  they  had 
forced  their  company  upon  us  for  nearly  seven  hours,  which 
had  caused  us  to  dislike  them  very  much,  and  their  con- 
tinued puffing  was  not  a  pleasing  sound  in  our  ears  as  there 
was  not  much  music  to  it,  their  voices  not  being  properly 
cultivated. 

We  looked  for  their  reappearance  until  daylight,  and 
were  pleased  to  be  disappointed.  The  fog  still  hung  heavy 
around  us  and  a  light  breeze  sprang  up  from  the  southeast, 
and  as  the  whales  were  not  to  be  seen  or  heard,  I  took  my 
usual  nap.  This  was  on  June  8th.  When  I  awoke  we 
had  our  breakfast  and  pulled  in  our  drogue  and  squared 
away  on  our  course.  Everything  went  well  considering 
the  thick  fog,  which  kept  us  busy  listening  for  the  fog 
horns  of  passing  vessels.  I  had  used  mine  until  it  was 
played  out  and  practically  useless,  which  made  us  more  on 
the  alert  as  we  were  in  danger  of  being  run  down,  as  we 
could  only  use  our  lungs,  providing  we  heard  a  vessel's 
warning  of  her  approach. 


98  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

Early  in  the  afternoon  it  began  to  rain  very  hard.  This 
was  more  than  we  wished  for  as  I  was  drenched  to  the 
skin,  and  to  sit  all  cramped  up  and  keep  her  on  her  course 
was  not  very  pleasant  at  best.  One  does  not  dread  a  rain 
storm  on  shore,  as  by  bundling  up  and  with  an  umbrella 
they  can  get  along  very  comfortably,  but  I  could  do  neither, 
as  I  had  to  sit  still  and  let  the  rain  beat  on  my  unprotected 
body  as  it  pleased.  I  was  not  afraid  of  taking  cold,  as  that 
is  a  very  unusual  thing  at  sea,  yet  in  years  to  come  it  is 
liable  to  cause  rheumatism.  This  being  on  the  9th  of  June, 
coupled  with  our  trials  with  the  whales  and  the  first  heavy 
rainstorm,  made  the  date  impressed  very  strongly  on  our 
memory.  Towards  night  the  rain  ceased,  but  the  fog  still 
hung  on  and  darkness  soon  settled  around  us.  Another 
tedious  night  was  upon  us. 

June  iothwas  ushered  in  with  the  fog  still  holding  on  as. 
though  it  meant  to  watch  over  us  at  all  times,  and  seemed 
to  like  our  company  far  more  than  we  wished  it  did.  We 
heard  the  fog  signals  of  two  vessels  but  could  not  see  them 
on  account  of  the  thick  fog  that  encircled  us.  At  times  it 
would  light  up  a  little  and  then  shut  in  as  before  and  we 
had  to  keep  our  eyes  and  ears  on  the  alert  at  all  times,  as 
we  were  in  the  track  of  vessels  sailing  to  and  from  the 
United  States.  Thus  the  day  passed  and  again  night 
settled  around  us. 

June  nth  opened  with  the  fog  still  holding  its  own,  and 
a  moderate  breeze.  The  same  continued  through  the  12th 
and  13th.  The  morning  of  the  14th  opened  with  a  heavy 
wind  from  the  southwest.  The  wind  increased  so  much 
that  during  the  afternoon  I  hove  to  and  put  out  my  drogue 
to  steady  her.  The  seas  ran  mountains  high,  and  I  soon 
found  that  my  drogue  was  insufficient  to  hold  the  boat 
steady,  it  being  too  light.  Oh,  how  I  wished  I  had  some- 
thing to  make  a  heavier  one,  but  I  did  not  have  the  neces- 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  99 

sary  articles  to  do  so,  so  I  must  make  it  answer  in  some 
way. 

We  laid  to  until  daylight  of  the  15th,  when  the  wind 
moderated  and  we  again  started  on  our  course.  On  figur- 
ing up  by  dead  reckoning  I  found  we  were  in  lat.  43.46, 
Ion.  58.54.  During  the  day  we  were  again  surrounded  by 
a  school  of  whales,  and  I  found  it  hard  work  to  steer  clear 
from  them.  Again  night  spread  her  mantle  over  us, 
and  with  the  fog  still  holding  on  we  passed  the  dreary 
night.  In  the  early  morning  I  took  a  nap,  the  first  sleep 
I  had  had  for  twenty-four  hours.  As  wTe  were  having 
more  or  less  heavy  weather  regular  meals  were  out  of  the 
question,  so  we  ate  whenever  we  chose.  This  was  June 
1 6th.  We  sailed  along  until  about  eight  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  when  we  hove  to  under  our  drogue  and  took  cat 
naps  through  the  night,  at  all  times  realizing  our  danger 
on  account  of  the  thick  fog,  yet  the  night  passed  without 
accident. 

The  next  morning,  about  seven  o'clock,  the  wrind  had 
moderated,  so  we  took  in  our  drogue  and  set  sail  for  a  start 
on  our  course,  east  by  south.  We  were  now  in  lat.  43.40 
Ion.  56.25.  This  was  on  the  seventeenth.  With  a  fresh 
breeze  we  sailed  along.  The  wind  was  from  the  south 
west  and  began  to  increase  until,  at  last,  I  furled  the  main- 
sail, and  about  one  in  the  afternoon  I  had  to  furl  the  foresail 
and  heave  to  with  my  drogue  out  to  steady  her.  The  wind 
kept  increasing  and  the  seas  ran  mountains  high.  It  is 
impossible  for  me  to  try  ta  picture  to  those  unacquainted 
with  the  sea  what  a  heavy  gale  is,  as  large  ships  are  tossed 
about  like  chips  and  many  times  are  lost,  with  all  on  board. 
So  my  readers  can  form  a  little  idea  what  a  position  we 
were  in  in  our  little  cockleshell  of  a  boat,  but  we  rode  out 
the  gale  at  last. 

As  we  again  hauled  in  our  drogue  about  eleven  o'clock 


IOO  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

on  the  morning  of  June  iSth,  we  again  set  sail  and  pro- 
ceeded on  our  course,  before  the  wind.  The  seas  were 
running  so  heavy  that  the  boat  labored  very  hard,  and  it 
often  looked  as  though  we  would  be  swamped  ;  as  the  high 
seas  came  up  behind  us  it  looked  as  though  it  would  com- 
pletely envelop  us  from  sight.  When  in  the  trough  of  the 
sea  it  looked  like  a  large  wall  in  front  and  back  with  no 
chance  of  escape,  but  we  would  rise  on  top  again  like  a 
duck  and  shoot  ahead  ready  to  surmount  the  next  one.  By 
dead  reckoning  we  were  in  lat.  43.43,  Ion.  55.30. 

Thus  we  sailed  during  the  day  and  night,  and  the  morn- 
ing of  the  19th  opened  with  the  wind  considerably  lighter 
from  the  northwest  and  quite  clear,  and  by  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  it  wasvery  calm.  We  were  now  in  lat.  43.32, 
Ion.  54.50.  The  wind  increased  again  towards  night  and 
before  morning  was  again  blowing  a  heavy  gale. 

The  20th  was  ushered  in  with  the  wind  still  increasing 
and  blowing  from  the  south  and  a  heavy  rain  set  in.  I 
managed  to  catch  a  small  pitcher  full,  while  laid  to  under 
our  drogue.  Late  in  the  day  the  wind  took  a  slant  to  the 
west  and  moderated,  when  we  again  started,  steering  east- 
southeast  by  the  compass.  The  wind  again  increased,  so 
I  furled  the  mainsail  and  ran  before  the  wind  under  the 
foresail  with  a  heavy  sea  running  from  the  west.  I 
had  occasion  to  go  forward,  and  when  I  returned  I  acci- 
dentally stepped  on  my  compass  and  broke  the  glass,  but 
did  not  do  any  other  damage  to  it.  I  then  took  two  of  the 
glasses  from  my  lantern  and  fitted  it  the  best  I  could,  as 
the  small  one  I  had  was  no  good  at  all. 

June  21st  opened  with  a  heavy  gale  from  the  westward. 
We  ran  under  foresail,  and  about  two  in  the  afternoon  we 
sighted  a  fisherman  at  anchor  with  a  storm  trysail  up,  as 
the  sea  was  running  very  heavy,  on  the  Grand  Banks 
(Banks  of  Newfoundland).      We  were  then  running  under 


CAPT.  THOS.  CRAPO  AND  WIFE.  IOI 

our  foresail  so  we  ran  down  and  spoke  her,  and  on  inquiry 
we  were  informed  that  we  were  in  lat.  43.43.  The  vessel 
proved  to  be  a  fisherman  from  Provincetown,  but  as  she 
had  so  many  boats  around  her  we  could  not  get  her  name. 
It  was  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  we  spoke 
her.  We  ran  by  and  hove  to  in  sight  of  her  with  our 
drogue  out  ahead.  About  five  in  the  afternoon,  while 
under  our  drogue,  an  English  barque  named  the  Amenori 
ran  down  and  spoke  us.  She  was  from  Baltimore,  bound 
for  Glasgow,  Scotland.  The  captain  asked  if  we  wanted 
any  assistance,  and  as  we  replied  in  the  negative  they  pro- 
ceeded after  giving  us  the  longitude,  50.1.  As  they  passed 
they  gave  us  arousing  cheer,  and  cries  of  good  luck  to  you. 

During  the  evening  the  wind  moderated,  but  after  mid- 
night, during  the  early  morning  hours  of  the  22nd,  it  again 
increased,  harder  than  before.  I  took  in  my  mainsail  and 
scudded  under  my  foresail.  I  did  not  want  to  stop  again 
if  I  could  help  it  as  I  had  just  got  under  way,  as  the  wind 
increased  again  and  it  was  considerable  work  to  keep 
putting  out  the  drogue,  but  as  the  wind  still  kept  increas- 
ing and  the  seas  ran  so  high  I  had  to  heave  to  in  order  to 
insure  our  safety,  and  as  everything  appeared  in  good 
shape  I  took  a  short  nap.  As  the  gale  continued  I  had  a 
good  time  to  rest,  which  I  needed  very  much.  During  the 
time  I  figured  by  dead  reckoning  and  found  we  were  in 
lat.  43-54.  I  did  not  take  the  longitude  every  day.  About 
five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  wind  took  a  lull  and  the 
sea  quieted  down  a  little,  so  I  hauled  in  my  drogue  and 
squared  away  under  our  foresail ;  continued  under  the  fore- 
sail through  the  night  with  the  wind  from  the  westward. 

The  23rd  was  ushered  in  with  a  fresh  breeze  from  the 
south,  and  it  continued  to  increase.  As  we  were  sailing 
along  with  the  wind  on  our  beam  we  nearly  capsized,  and 
as  I  saw  it  would  probably  prove  dangerous  to  continue  I 


102  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

hove  to  under  the  drogue.  Soon  a  heavy  tempest  set  in 
and  continued  with  very  heavy  rain  nearly  all  night.  My 
readers  all  know  what  a  heavy  thunderstorm  is  on  shore, 
but  it  is  nothing  compared  to  a  thunderstorm  at  sea  ;  the 
sky  settles  as  black  as  ink,  when  the  thunder  fairly  shakes 
one's  whole  being  and  flashes  of  lightning  nearly  blind  you. 
Simple  words  cannot  adequately  describe  it.  Every  flash 
that  dashes  across  the  blackened  heavens  is  plainly  seen  as 
there  is  nothing  above  the  surface  to  break  off  the  view,  and 
the  constant  roll  of  the  thunder,  coupled  with  the  drenching 
rain,  was  enough  to  make  the  strongest  man  quail. 

Thunderstorms,  as  everybody  knows,  are  never  very 
pleasant,  as  they  are  almost  always  coupled  with  more  or 
less  danger.  Many  times  the  lightning  strikes  houses,  trees, 
or  human  beings,  and  for  us  two  to  be  alone  in  a  little  boat 
hundreds  of  miles  from  land  and  nothing  but  water  in  sight 
no  wonder  we  were  more  or  less  frightened,  and  we  were 
more  than  pleased  when  it  passed  over,  as  I  was  as  wet  as 
a  drowned  rat  and  had  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  fear  of 
being  run  down  by  some  ocean  steamer  or  sailing  vessel. 

As  J.  before  stated,  the  drogue  I  had  was  far  from  being 
heavy  enough  to  hold  the  boat  steady,  and  really  I  class  it 
as  an  interposition  of  Providence  as  I  chanced  to  see  a  keg 
floating  towards  us,  which  I  lost  no  time  in  securing,  when 
I  knocked  the  hoops  off  and  cut  them  off  with  a  hatchet, 
leaving  them  about  fifteen  inches  in  diameter.  I  then  put 
three  of  them  together  and  fastened  them  with  rope  yarns. 
I  then  took  an  old  canvas  hammock  I  had  on  board  and  cut 
it  in  the  shape  of  a  draw  water  bucket  and  sewed  it  to  the 
hoops  with  rope  yarns.  I  then  fastened  it  with  spun  yarn 
so  it  would  pull  even,  about  the  same  as  a  bail  to  a  water 
pail,  only  I  put  on  two,  one  opposite  to  the  other.  After 
completing  it  I  fastened  it  to  a  line  five  fathoms  longer  than 
the  one  I  had  and  put  it  out,  and  it  was  a  godsend  indeed 
as  it,  coupled  with  the  other,  held  us  very  nicely. 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  103 

During  the  night,  and  especially  the  early  hours  of  the 
morning,  I  was  kept  busy  hauling  in  on  the  drogue  line 
when  I  saw  a  very  large  sea  coming  and  ease  it  off  when  it 
passed,  which  was  tedious  work.  This  was  the  morning 
of  the  24th.  Early  in  the  forenoon  we  sighted  a  sail  head- 
ing toward  the  westward  and  we  were  expecting  she  would 
get  by  without  seeing  us,  but  when  she  was  within  about  a 
mile  of  us  she  veered  from  her  course  and  ran  down  towards 
us.  She  proved  to  be  an  ocean  steamship  Batavia,  from 
Liverpool  for  Boston,  under  command  of  Captain  John  E. 
Moreland. 

As  she  came  close  to  us  the  captain  hailed  us  and  asked 
if  we  wanted  any  assistance,  to  which  I  replied  "No."  He 
asked  where  we  were  bound,  when  I  replied  "to  England." 
He  then  said  that  when  he  sighted  us  he  thought  it  was  a 
boat  with  survivors  from  some  wrecked  vessel.  I  then 
stood  on  deck  holding  on  to  my  mainmast.  He  then  asked 
if  we  wanted  to  be  taken  off,  to  which  I  again  replied 
"No,"  but  I  said  I  should  like  to  be  reported.  All  this 
time  handkerchiefs  were  waving  from  nearly  every  deadlight 
on  the  steamer.  The  captain  gave  us  the  lat.  44,  Ion.  48.20. 
We  then  parted  company  as  the  steamer  proceeded  on  her 
course,  dipping  her  flags  as  a  salute  to  us  to  which  wre 
responded  by  dipping  ours.  The  accompanying  picture 
shows  us  as  sketched  by  the  mate  of  the  steamer  at  the  time, 
who  presented  it  to  me  about  six  months  after  in  New  York, 
as  I  took  dinner  with  him  on  board.  The  captain  at  the 
time  gave  me  a  letter  certifying  the  fact  of  his  speaking  us 
at  the  time.      Following  is  a  copy  of  the  letter  : — 

New  York,  Jan.  29th,  1S7S. 

I  hereby  certify  that  I  spoke  the  boat  "New  Bedford" 
in  latitude  44.00  n.,  longitude  48.00  w.,  bound  to  England, 
and  manned  by  a  man  and  woman,  at  9  A.  M.,  June   20th, 


c  c 


I/) 

D 
ai 

O 
a 


> 

< 

< 

03 


X 

< 

l/) 

Z 

LU 

X 

Q 
Z 


O 
u 
< 

a 


< 

o 

CQ 


CAPT.  THOS.  CRAPO  AND  WIFE.  IO5 

1877.     At  that  time  they  reported  themselves  in  good  con- 
dition and  required  nothing. 

John  E.  Moreland, 

Commander  Cunard  Steamship  "  Batavia." 

As  I  had  requested  Captain  Moreland  to  report  us  on  his 
arrival,  the  following  which  appeared  in  the  daily  papers 
proved  that  he  did  so.     The  report  read  thus  : — 

Crapo  Spoken, 
seen  in  mid-ocean all  well in  want  of  nothing. 

Cunard  steamship  Batavia  arrived  Monday  at  Boston, 
from  Liverpool,  and  reported  that  on  Wednesday,  June 
20th,  at  9.15  A.  m.,  a  small  sailboat  was  sighted.  The 
steamer,  after  bearing  down  upon  her,  stopped  within  hail- 
ing distance.  It  proved  to  be  the  little  boat  New  Bedford, 
with  Captain  Thomas  Crapo  and  wife  on  board.  They 
reported  having  experienced  heavy  weather,  but  were  both 
well  and  in  want  of  nothing.  The  officers  of  the  steamer 
gave  them  their  position  as  latitude  44  north,  longitude  48 
west. 

The  New  Bedford,  it  will  be  remembered,  sailed  from 
this  port  Monday,  May  28th,  and  from  Chatham,  her  real 
point  of  departure,  Saturday,  June  2nd.  She  was  last 
spoken  June  7th  in  lat.  42.20,  Ion.  64.22.  She  had  sailed 
in  the  neighborhood  of  850  miles  since  previously  spoken 
and    1,140  miles  since  leaving   Chatham. 

I  wish  to  state  to  my  readers  that  there  is  a  slight  mis- 
take in  the  report  of  the  Batavia,  as  the  paper  stated  that 
she  spoke  us  on  the  20th  of  June,  but  it  is  entered  in  my 
log  book  as  the  24th,  which  was  the  time  we  were  spoken. 
I  explain  this  so  my  readers  will  not  be  misled  in  the 
dates  and  positions  of  our  voyage. 

The  gale    continued    through    the    night  with    the    seas 


106  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

running  mountains  high  with  the  wind  from  the  westward. 
The  boat  labored  very  hard  and  the  seas  were  continually 
breaking  over  her,  which  showed  the  velocity  of  the  wind. 
About  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  25th  I  hauled  in 
the  drogue,  which  I  had  tended  for  the  past  eighteen  hours, 
and  proceeded  on  our  course,  steering  east-southeast  by 
the  compass.  We  continued  on  through  the  day  and  the 
following  night  until  daylight  of  the  26th,  when  I  hove  to 
and  took  a  nap.  When  I  awoke  the  sky  was  still  very 
heavy  and  overcast,  and  no  signs  of  the  sun  breaking 
through.  The  wind  had  moderated  but  the  seas  were  still 
running  very  high ;  nothing  but  gulls  and  porpoises  in 
sight,  the  porpoises  many  times  coming  so  close  to  our 
boat  that  I  could  touch  them.  Later  in  the  day  the  wind 
increased  and  again  blew  quite  heavy,  but  we  continued  to 
run  under  our  foresail. 

Along  towards  night  we  sighted  a  Swansea  brig,  which 
ran  down  and  spoke  us.  The  captain  says,  "Give  us  a 
line  and  we  will  tow  you."  "We  are  not  crossing  the 
ocean  that  way,"  I  replied.  The  seas  were  running  so 
high  and  her  name  was  so  badly  painted  we  could  not  make 
it  out,  all  we  could  make  out  was  the  word  Swansea. 
About  an  hour  after  speaking  the  brig  we  saw  a  very  large 
sunfish,  which  measured,  I  should  judge,  all  of  three  feet 
across  the  back.  These  sunfish  are  a  very  queer-looking 
fish,  the  under  part  very  much  resembling  a  scallop.  They 
are  not  good  for  eating  purposes  ;  the  only  part  I  ever  heard 
of  being  put  to  use  was  the  liver  which  is  very  much 
sought  for,  as  the  oil  from  it  is  claimed  to  be  very  good  for 
the  relief  of  that  painful  disease,  rheumatism. 

We  continued  on  through  the  night  with  a  strong  wind 
until  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  June  27th,  when 
I  took  my  usual  nap,  and  after  breakfast  started  again 
with    the  wind    blowing  from    the    southwest.      I    steered 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  IO7 

east  by  the  compass  to  keep  out  of  the  trough  of  the  sea 
as  they  were  still  running  very  high.  And  before  noon  it 
began  to  rain  very  hard,  which  soon  wet  me  to  the  skin, 
and  we  began  to  ship  large  quantities  of  water,  which 
made  it  very  unpleasant  for  us.  We  ran  along  until  about 
six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when,  owing  to  the  increase 
of  the  wind  and  heavy  seas,  I  again  hove  to  and  put  out 
my  drogue. 

During  the  early  hours  of  the  night  the  wind  took  a 
slant  to  the  northwest  and  increased  in  its  fury  but  mod- 
erated again  towards  morning,  so  much  so  that  about 
seven  o'clock  of  the  28th  I  hauled  in  our  drogue  and  pro- 
ceeded on  our  course  with  the  wind  from  the  west.  About 
nine  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  we  sighted  a  sail  heading  to 
the  westward,  and  we  were  probably  seen  by  them  about 
the  same  time.  We  sighted  them  as  they  changed  their 
course  and  headed  for  us,  and  as  she  arrived  within  hailing 
distance  the  captain  hailed  us.  She  proved  to  be  the 
Bremen  barque  Amphitrite,  from  Bristol,  England,  bound 
to  Quebec,  under  command  of  Captain  Geares.  He  invited 
us  to  come  on  board,  but  we  respectfully  declined;  but  as 
the  captain's  wife  urged  us  so  hard  we  at  last  consented  to 
go  on  board  for  a  short  time. 

The  captain  then  ordered  the  sailors  to  get  down  in  our 
boat  to  fend  her  off  and  keep  her  from  pounding  against 
the  side  of  the  ship,  and  we  then  went  on  board.  And 
what  a  relief  that  was  to  our  tired  and  cramped  limbs ; 
simple  words  cannot  adequately  describe  the  sensation,  as 
we  had  been  cramped  into  a  small  compass  where  we 
could  scarcely  turn  around  for  twenty-six  days,  and  to 
once  more  be  permitted  to  walk,  run  or  jump  was  pleasure 
indeed.  As  we  stepped  on  board  we  were  greeted  with 
applause  from  all  on  board,  and  the  captain  and  his  wife, 
who  were  a  newly  married  couple,  escorted  us  down  into 


IOS  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

their  cabin.  At  the  same  time  issuing  orders  to  haul 
aback  the  vessel's  yards  to  keep  her  from  sailing  along. 

We  were  pleasantly  entertained  while  on  board,  and 
dinner  was  served  and  we  all  sat  down,  which  also  was 
very  pleasing  for  us  to  have  a  chance  to  sit  down  and 
quietly  partake  of  a  well-prepared  meal  placed  on  a  table 
and  comfortable  chairs  to  sit  in. 

We  remained  on  board  about  three  quarters  of  an  hour. 
While  on  board  I  wrote  two  letters  directed  to  New  Bed- 
ford, which  the  captain  was  to  mail  for  me  upon  his  arrival 
in  port.  We  then  made  preparations  to  go  aboard  of  our 
boat  again,  and  we  were  prevailed  upon  to  accept  two 
bottles  of  choice  wine  which  we  were  very  grateful  for. 
We  then  went  aboard  and  our  lines  were  cast  off,  good-byes 
were  said,  and  amid  cheers  from  all  we  parted  company 
and  sailed  on  our  course.  The  crew  were  waving  hand- 
kerchiefs and  hats  as  long  as  we  could  see  them,  to  which 
we  responded  by  dipping  our  colors. 

During  our  conversation  at  dinner  I  requested  the  cap- 
tain to  report  us  upon  his  arrival,  and  to  prove  that  he  did 
the  following  shows,  which  was  printed  in  the  papers  : 

The  New  Bedford  Reported. 

captain    and    mrs.    crapo     eat    dinner    on     board 
barque  amphitrite. the  voyagers  well. 

Captain  Geares  of  the  barque  Amphitrite,  from  Bristol, 
England,  reported  that  June  26th,  in  lat.  44.39  north,  Ion. 
43  west,  met  the  twenty-foot  boat  (schooner  rigged  whale- 
boat)  New  Bedford,  twenty-two  days  out,  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Crapo  on  board.  Hove  to  and  the  two  voyagers 
boarded  the  Amphitrite.  They  remained  to  dinner  and 
expressed  themselves  well  satisfied  so  far  with  the  voyage 
to  Europe,  and  stated  that  they  had  enjoyed  good  health. 
At  parting  Captain  Geares  provided  them  with  wine  and 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  109 

water  and  a  few  small  articles,  when  the  two  vessels  sepa- 
rated, the  New  Bedford  steering  east-northeast,  and  the 
ship's  company  gave  them  three  cheers  and  wished  them 
Godspeed. 

I  wish  here  to  call  the  attention  of  my  readers  to  the  fact 
that  the  above  report  claims  that  the  vessel  spoke  us  June 
26th,  when  in  reality,  according  to  my  log,  it  was  June 
2Sth.  Yet  it  does  not  matter  which  it  is,  only  I  don't  wish 
to  make  any  false  statements  if  possible. 

We  watched  her  until  she  disappeared  from  view,  and 
we  were  again  alone  upon  the  broad  Atlantic  with  nothing 
but  water  in  sight.  While  on  board  the  Amphitrite  I 
noticed  that  according  to  her  compass  mine  was  about  two 
points  out,  no  doubt  caused  by  my  stepping  on  it.  This 
being  so  would  be  liable  to  carry  us  considerably  farther  to 
the  southward  than  we  wanted  to  go,  but  I  was  now  on 
my  guard  and  could  steer  accordingly.  Later  in  the  day 
the  wind  took  a  slant,  and  began  to  blow  quite  heavy  and 
the  seas  began  to  make  very  rapidly,  and  to  cap  the  climax 
rain  squalls  set  in  which  wet  me  to  the  skin.  As  the  wind 
increased  I  hove  to  and  put  out  my  drogue  and  laid  to  until 
about  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  29th,  when  we 
hauled  it  in  and  proceeded  on. 

About  ten  in  the  forenoon  we  spoke  the  English  barque 
Pool  Scar  of  Liverpool,  from  Lubec  to  the  English  Chan- 
nel. After  parting  company  with  her  the  wind  again  in- 
creased and  we  outsailed  the  Pool  Scar  by  leading  her 
about  two  miles.  Later  the  wind  canted  to  the  northwest, 
which  gave  her  a  chance  to  show  us  her  heels  as  all  of  her 
sails  would  now  draw  to  a  good  advantage  ;  she  easily  drew 
along  and  passed  us  in  the  night.  The  captain  gave  us 
the  Ion.  as  37.12  by  the  chronometer.  The  morning  of 
the  30th  dawned  clear  and  beautiful,  but  the  wind  soon 
began  to    blow  quite    heavily.     The    seas    made  fast  and 


HO  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

• 

the  wind  continued  to  increase  so  that  the  little  boat  labored 
very  heavily,  and  the  seas  were  continually  breaking  over 
her  and  I  at  last  deemed  it  advisable  to  heave  to.  Our 
bedding  was  completely  saturated  and  everything  very  wet. 
And  to  make  it  more  uncomfortable,  about  four  in  the 
afternoon  a  very  heavy  rainstorm  set  in  and  continued 
through  the  night. 

The  wind  began  to  moderate  about  3  A.  m.  of  July  1st, 
and  about  five  we  hauled  in  our  drogue  and  proceeded  on 
our  course  ;  at  about  eleven  the  wind  canted  to  the  north 
and  light  breezes  prevailed  with  occasional  rain  squalls, 
and  about  three  in  the  afternoon  it  was  a  settled  calm. 
About  five  o'clock  the  wind  backed  into  the  northeast, 
accompanied  by  heavy  rain,  which  continued  through  the 
night.  Daylight  of  July  2d  found  us  surrounded  by  heavy 
storm  clouds  and  the  rain  falling  in  torrents,  and  whales 
appeared  all  around  us.  About  nine  o'clock  I  lay  down 
to  sleep  and  told  my  wife  to  keep  awake  and  keep  a  sharp 
lookout.  And  I  will  here  state  just  as  she  explains  it. 
Her  story  is  this  : 

"I  kept  awake  all  night  until  about  eleven  o'clock,  when 
my  eyes  grew  so  heavy  that  I  put  fresh  water  on  them  to 
try  to  keep  them  open ;  I  then  put  on  salt  water,  as  the 
fresh  did  not  appear  to  do  any  good,  and  this  made  them 
awful  sticky,  but  as  they  continued  to  draw  together  I  lay 
down  and  was  asleep  in  a  moment.  Somewhat  about  one 
o'clock  I  awoke  with  a  start ;  something  seemed  to  be  pull- 
ing me,  and  I  jumped  up  at  once  and  looking  out  saw  a 
large  steamer  heading  directly  for  us.  I  halloed  to  my 
husband  to  wake  up  at  once,  which  he  did  and  grabbed 
our  lantern,  which  was  burning,  and  waved  it  aloft.  The 
steamer,  as  was  lucky  for  us  both,  had  a  competent  person 
on  lookout,  as  the  minute  he  waved  our  lantern  we  could 
see  the  steamer  sheer  to  one  side.     We  hailed  but  could 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  Ill 

not  understand  their  language ;  we  supposed  she  was  a 
German,  but  do  not  know." 

My  readers  can  readily  picture  to  themselves  what  our 
danger  was,  lying  to  without  any  breeze  right  in  the  track 
of  passing  vessels  and  both  of  us  asleep.  And  it  was  for- 
tunate for  us  that  she  awoke  as  she  did,  as  it  would  only 
have  been  but  a  few  seconds  before  she  would  have  struck 
us,  and  no  one  aboard  the  large  steamer  would  have  been 
any  the  wiser.  But  thank  heaven  we  were  permitted  to 
proceed  without  accident,  but  I  made  up  my  mind  to  do  no 
more  sleeping  nights.  About  four  in  the  morning  a  light 
breeze  sprang  up  from  the  southward  when  we  proceeded, 
steering  east-southeast  by  the  compass.  About  five  o'clock 
rain  squalls  set  in,  and  about  ten  in  the  forenoon  we  sighted 
the  English  barque  Ontario  of  Windsor,  Nova  Scotia,  from 
Hamburg  for  New  York.  We  ran  alongside  and  got  a 
keg  of  fresh  water  as  ours  had  become  unfit  for  use,  and 
we  talked  with  them  and  they  seemed  to  be  pleased  to  see 
us.  After  we  had  put  the  keg  of  water  they  gave  us  into 
our  water  keg  we  thanked  them  and  bade  them  good-bye. 

About  four  in  the  afternoon  a  thick  fog  settled  around 
which  hung  on  through  the  early  part  of  the  night.  After 
midnight  it  cleared  and  the  wind  breezed  up  from  the 
southward,  and  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  took 
a  nap.  This  was  on  the  third  of  July.  When  I  awoke 
we  again  made  sail  and  proceeded,  and  about  the  middle 
of  the  day  a  heavy  thunderstorm  set  in,  which  was  so 
heavy  that  we  hove  to  and  waited  for  it  to  pass  over,  but  it 
was  early  in  the  morning  of  the  fourth  that  the  clouds 
dispersed  and  the  stars  peeped  forth.  This  July  4th  was 
lacking  of  the  noise  and  rattle  of  a  4th  on  shore,  and  our 
minds  were  carried  back  to  the  little  city  of  New  Bedford 
as  a  reminder  of  the  fact.  The  day  opened  quite  clear 
and  a  moderate  breeze,  and  later  in  the  day  we  were  left 


I  I  2  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

becalmed,  but  towards  night  it  breezed  up  again  and  we 
sailed  along  on  our  course.  July  5th  opened  with  a  clear 
sky  and  a  moderate  breeze  from  the  southeast  with  noth- 
ing but  water  in  sight.  Early  in  the  afternoon  a  heavy 
fog  settled  around  us  and  held  on  until  after  midnight,  and 
we  had  to  sail  by  the  wind  as  near  our  course  as  possible. 
Thus  the  day  of  July  6th  passed. 

About  one  in  the  morning  of  July  7th  the  fog  had  en- 
tirely disappeared  and  a  moderate  breeze  was  blowing 
from  the  southeast  and  we  barely  moved  along.  About 
six  in  the  morning  we  sighted  a  sail  which  gradually  drew 
nearer,  and  about  10  o'clock  she  was  within  hailing  dis- 
tance, when  she  spoke  us.  She  proved  to  be  the  Norwe- 
gian barque  Honor,  bound  for  Cork.  The  captain  gave 
us  the  longitude  as  29.30.  He,  like  all  others,  urged  us 
to  come  on  board,  but  we  respectfully  declined.  The 
captain  also  offered  to  provide  us  with  anything  they  had 
on  board,  but  we  were  not  in  want  of  anything,  so  amid 
cheers  from  the  crew,  we  drifted  apart  and  were  soon  out 
of  sight  of  each  other. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  wind  freshened 
from  the  south  and  the  sea  made  very  fast.  The  sky  was 
clear,  but  we  had  to  work  against  a  head  sea  which  grew 
worse  all  the  time.  We  could  only  make  an  east  course 
by  the  compass,  which  was  all  of  two  points  from  our 
course.  Thus  we  continued  on,  and  about  one  in  the  early 
morning  of  the  8th  the  weather  settled  very  cloudy,  but 
the  wind  still  held  to  the  southward  and  the  sea  still  held 
its  own.  During  the  forenoon  the  sea  began  to  moderate. 
About  ten  o'clock  of  the  same  morning  we  sighted  a 
steamer  coming  astern  of  us  and  approaching  very  fast. 
As  she  drew  near  she  ran  close  and  spoke  us.  She  proved 
to  be  the  ocean  steamer  Denmark,  from  New  York  to 
London,    England.     The    engines   were    stopped   and  we 


CAPT.     THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  113 

were  asked  to  come  on  board,  which  we  did  not  see  fit  to 
do,  but  I  ran  towards  her  and  as  we  drew  near  a  line  was 
thrown  to  us  which  I  caught  and  made  fast  around 
our  foremast  and  we  were  drawn  alongside.  Two  of  the 
crew  were  then  ordered  down  to  pass  us  provisions,  which 
it  seemed  were  all  prepared  for  us  unsolicited.  They 
also  presented  us  with  a  keg  of  water  which  I  lashed  to 
my  mainmast  for  the  time  being.  The  captain  and  crew 
were  very  good  to  us  and  seemed  to  think  they  could  not 
do  enough  for  us.  We  thanked  them  all  for  the  favors 
shown  us,  and  "with  well  wishes  for  our  safe  arrival  we 
cast  off  and  proceeded,  amid  cheers  from  all  on  board. 
The  captain  also  gave  us  the  correct  longitude  as  27.26, 
and  the  steamer's  engines  were  again  put  in  motion  and 
thus  we  parted,  and  she  soon  disappeared  from  view.  On 
arriving  in  England  Capt.  Williams  gave  me  the  follow- 
ing letter  : 

S.  S.  Denmark, 

London,  December,  1877. 
Capt.  Crapo, 

Dear  Sir:  As  you  are  now  about  leaving  England, 
and  some  people  have  been  sceptical  as  to  your  crossing 
the  Atlantic  in  the  small  boat  "New  Bedford,"  you  are  at 
perfect  liberty  to  use  my  testimony  as  to  passing  you  at 
sea  on  your  voyage,  viz:  July  7th,  7.^0  p.  m.,  latitude 
•47.12  n.  ;   270  33  west. 

Robert  P.  Williams, 

Master  National  Steamship  Co.'s  S.  S.  Denmark, 
of  Liverpool. 

About  two  in  the  afternoon  the  wind  freshened  and  we 
experienced  very  heavy  squalls.  During  the  afternoon, 
about  four  o'clock,  I  furled  my  foresail  and  took  a  short 
nap.  About  8.30  I  woke  and  proceeded,  with  the  weather 
very  thick ;   our  course  by  compass  was  southeast  by  east 


114  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

half  east.  Thus  we  continued  on,  and  the  9th  opened 
with  the  wind  from  the  same  quarter  and  a  heavy  rain- 
storm set  in  ;  this  coupled  with  a  heavy  cross  sea  made  it 
very  uncomfortable  for  us.  My  readers  can  readily  imag- 
ine what  a  drenching  rainstorm  at  sea,  in  a  small  boat, 
must  be,  as  a  heavy  storm  on  shore  can  easily  be  taken  as 
an  illustration.  Yet  we  had  to  take  it,  and  no  matter  how 
wet  we  were  we  had  no  means  of  drying  our  clothes  only 
in  the  open  air,  aided  by  the  sun,  which  did  not  shine  every 
day  as  my  readers  can  see. 

About  ten  o'clock  I  furled  the  mainsail  and  ran  under 
our  foresail  until  about  midnight.  The  sea  continued  to 
make  and  occasionally  broke  over  the  boat,  so  at  last  I 
decided  to  lay  to.  I  furled  the  foresail  and  set  the  main- 
sail for  a  storm  trysail  and  put  out  my  drogue ;  thus  the 
morning  of  the  10th  found  us.  Thus  we  lay  until  day- 
light when  the  seas  began  to  moderate,  so  we  again  started 
on  our  course,  steering  east-southeast  by  the  compass. 
Later  in  the  day  we  sighted  two  barques  on  the  wind 
heading  to  the  southward.  They  came  within  about  two 
miles  of  us,  but  as  they  were  beating  on  the  wind  they 
probably  did  not  deem  it  advisable  to  bother  about  us,  so 
we  soon  were  out  of  sight  of  each  other. 

About  two  in  the  afternoon  the  sky  settled  darker  than 
before  and  the  wind  continued  to  blow  very  heavily. 
About  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  sighted  a  vessel's  red 
light,  which  is  carried  on  the  port  side.  We  ran  within 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  her,  and  as  she  proceeded  her 
light  soon  disappeared  from  view.  About  11  o'clock  the 
wind  changed  to  west-southwest  and  light  rains  continued 
to  follow  us,  and  the  morning  of  the  eleventh  found  the 
weather  about  the  same.  At  daylight  I  took  a  short  nap. 
When  I  awoke  we  again  started,  with  a  moderate  breeze 
and  a  heavy  sky  and    sea,   steering    east-southeast  by  the 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  II5 

compass  ;  light  baffling  winds  prevailed.  I  now  found  time 
to  put  the  water  given  to  us  by  the  captain  of  the  Denmark 
into  our  water  kegs,  so  after  doing  so  I  threw  the  keg  over- 
board. After  doing  so  I  glanced  around  and  saw  a  vessel 
in  the  distance,  and  as  she  was  not  a  great  distance  off  I 
headed  for  her,  expecting  of  course  that  we  were  seen  by 
those  on  board.  As  I  neared  her  I  hailed  her,  when  a  dog 
on  board  began  to  bark.  I  hailed  several  times,  and  at 
last  made  myself  heard,  when  all  hands  came  to  the  side  of 
the  vessel  and  appeared  thunderstruck  to  see  us  in  such  a 
small  boat.  At  last  the  captain  found  his  voice  and 
hailed,  when  I  asked  what  the  longitude  was.  He  asked 
us  to  come  alongside,  but  I  told  him  we  could  not  as  we 
were  in  a  hurry,  so  we  sailed  on,  and  as  we  drew  apart  he 
shouted  the  longitude,  25,  so  I  thanked  him,  and  the  crew 
cheered  lustily. 

Light  baffling  winds  continued  until  about  three  in  the 
morning  of  the  12th,  when  I  .again  took  a  nap.  Started 
again  about  eight  o'clock,  with  a  light  breeze  from  the 
northwest.  We  sailed  along  very  pleasantly  until  about 
eight  in  the  evening,  when  the  wind  canted  to  the  west- 
ward and  it  soon  settled  very  cloudy,  which  made  the  sky 
as  black  as  ink. '  Then  rain  began  to  fall  in  torrents  and 
the  wind  howled.  About  two  in  the  morning  of  the  13th 
I  hove  to  and  put  out  my  drogue,  and  had  a  short  sleep. 
While  I  was  asleep  the  weather  cleared,  so  about  nine  in 
forenoon  we  again  started,  steering  east  by  south  half- 
south  by  the  compass.  About  ten  the  wind  began  to  in- 
crease and  the  seas  began  to  make  very  fast.  We  sighted 
a  bark  steering  to  the  eastward,  which  passed  within  a 
half  a  mile  of  us.  About  one  in  the  morning  of  the  14th 
heavy  squalls  set  in,  and  about  three  I  hove  to  for  a  nap, 
and  started  again  about  nine  in  a  heavy  rainstorm.  About 
four  in  the  afternoon  we  sighted  two  vessels,  steering  to  the 


r 


Il6  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

southward,  the  rain  still  falling  in  torrents,  and  about  one  in 
the  morning  of  the  15th  I  decided  to  heave  to  and  put  out 
my  drogue,  which  I  did.  My  wife  had  begun  to  feel  quite 
bad.  I  suppose  the  change  from  canned  goods  to  fresh 
meat  and  vegetables  given  to  us  from  the  Denmark  was  the 
cause.  This  made  it  very  uncomfortable  for  both  of  us, 
as  we  were  not  provided  with  a  supply  of  medicines,  and  a 
doctor  was  out  of  the  question.  Sickness  is  not  pleasant 
at  any  time,  even  when  a  doctor  lives  next  door  to  you,  and 
to  be  where  one  cannot  be  had  for  love  or  money  was  de- 
cidedly bad. 

We  both  thought  it  would  soon  pass  off,  but  it  did  not 
seem  to  do  so,  as  she  complained  of  feeling  worse  as  the 
time  passed  on.  I  was  dead  tired,  so  I  took  a  short  nap, 
after  which  we  again  proceeded.  The  wind  canted  to  the 
north-northwest,  and  the  weather  cleared.  About  eleven 
the  wind  increased  and  the  sea  made  very  fast,  and  as  it 
grew  worse  all  the  time  I  deemed  it  advisable  to  heave  to, 
as  our  little  boat  labored  very  heavy.  The  seas  were  ter- 
rible and  I  had  grave  fears  for  our  safety,  as  the  seas  were 
continually  breaking  over  her.  The  morning  of  the  16th 
found  us  in  the  same  predicament,  and  no  signs  of  the 
gale  abating.  About  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the 
Bremen  barque  Astronom  spoke  us  and  asked  if  we 
wanted  any  assistance,  or  if  we  wanted  to  come  on  board, 
as  we  appeared  to  be  in  a  sad  condition ;  but  we  had 
stood  it  thus  far,  and  I  thought  we  could  stand  it  a  little 
longer.  Yet  I  could  but  help  thinking  of  my  wife,  who 
grew  decidedly  worse  each  day.  A  terrible  weakness  had 
taken  hold  of  her,  and  she  often  said  she  did  not  care 
whether  she  ever  reached  England  or  not.  Yet  in  the 
face  of  all  this  we  declined  to  accept  any  assistance,  and 
thanked  them  very  courteously  for  their  proffered  help  ; 
so  we  parted  and  were  soon  out  of  sight  of  each  other,  as 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  11^ 

it  did  not  take  her  long  in  the  strong  wind,   as   she  was 
scudding  before  it,  while  we  had  to  lay  to. 

Shortly  after  she  left  us  our  rudder  head  was  twisted 
off,  which  was  a  bad  go  for  us,  but  luckily  I  had  a  spare 
one  and  could  replace  it  as  soon  as  the  weather  would 
permit,  but  at  the  present  time  the  boat  was  rolling  and 
pitching  about  like  an  eggshell.  About  five  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  a  Prussian  brig  passed  close  to  us,  heading  to 
the  eastward,  and  was  soon  lost  to  view.  Thus  we 
rocked  and  rolled  through  the  day  and  night,  and  about 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  17th  we  sighted  a  barque 
under  short  sail  heading  to  the  eastward.  There  was  no 
apparent  change  in  the  weather  until  about  five  o'clock  in 
the  morning  of  the  iSth,  when  the  wind  canted  to  north- 
northwest  and  moderated.  As  the  signs  held  good  about 
six  o'clock  the  same  morning  I  got  out  my  spare  rudder 
and  rigged  it  and  made  sail  and  started  again,  steering  east 
by  north  by  the  compass.  The  seas  were  still  running  very 
high  and  the  waves  dashed  across  the  boat  at  every  jump. 
The  sky  cleared,  which  made  it  a  little  more  inviting  for 
us  ;  yet  it  was  not  much  pleasure  at  best.  Mrs.  Crapo  was 
still  very  much  under  the  weather,  and  was  unable  to 
render  any  assistance  whatever. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  wind  changed 
to  west-southwest,  and  fog  and  rain  again  set  in.  I  don't 
remember  in  all  of  my  going  to  sea  and  crossing  the  At- 
lantic ocean  so  many  times,  of  seeing  a  period  of  time  that 
we  had  been  on  our  passage  with  so  many  gales  and  so 
much  fog  and  rain ;  and  I  have  thought  a  great  many 
times  since  that  if  I  had  taken  a  more  northerly  course  I 
probably  would  have  had  a  better  passage.  The  Atlantic 
ocean  is  a  very  rough  place  during  the  winter  months,  but 
is  generally  quite  good  during  the  summer.  Yet  we  were 
having  nearly  as  rough  a  passage  as  if  it  were  winter  in- 
stead of  in  the  summer. 


IlS  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

Words  cannot  express,  even  to  sailors  themselves,  what 
we  experienced  on  that  passage.  Gales  that  were  terrible 
to  encounter,  especially  in  a  little  boat,  when  many  large 
vessels  have  been  wrecked  in  gales  of  less  magnitude. 
Yet  there  we  were,  day  and  night,  and  I  slept  on  an 
average  of  four  hours  out  of  each  twenty-four  during  the 
passage,  and  not  a  ghost  of  a  chance  to  move  about  enough 
to  keep  one's  blood  in  circulation.  At  all  times,  especially 
in  heavy  weather,  my  thoughts  would  turn  to  my  wife  who 
was  bearing  up  bravely  under  the  ordeal,  especially  as  sick 
as  she  was,  and  as  she  grew  worse  instead  of  better  plagued 
me  more,  I  think,  than  it  did  her.  Of  course  all  I  could 
do  under  the  circumstances  was  to  cheer  her  up  all  I 
possibly  could. 

If  she  had  had  a  good,  dry,  comfortable  bed  to  lie  on  it 
would  have  been  far  better,  but  our  readers  can  see  how 
limited  our  accommodations  were.  It  was  bad  enough  for 
her  to  be  obliged  to  put  up  with  it  when  she  was  feeling 
well  and  happy,  but  now  the  thought  was  as  wormwood, 
and  I  must  make  all  possible  haste  to  reach  land  where 
medical  aid  could  be  had  for  her,  as  she  was  growing  very 
despondent  and  made  the  remark  a  great  many  times  that 
she  did  not  believe  she  would  live  to  see  or  reach  land 
again,  and  also  that  she  did  not  care  whether  she  did  or 
not.  But  the  Lord  was  merciful  to  us  all  through,  and  we 
put  our  trust  in  Him  and  sailed  on. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  19th  I  again 
hove  the  boat  to  as  the  weather  was  so  bad  I  deemed  it 
unsafe  to  run,  as  I  did  not  wish  to  venture  any  chances.  I 
watched  very  closely  for  signs  of  its  moderating  and  at 
last  was  rewarded  by  signs  of  a  change  of  wind,  when  we 
again  started,  although  it  was  not  pleasant  sailing.  But 
we  were  all  the  time  drawing  nearer  to  our  destination, 
which  meant  a  great  deal  to  us. 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  II9 

Very  soon  a  thick  fog  set  in  and  rain  began  to  fall  very 
heavily,  which  continued  until  about  half  past  six  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  when  the  fog  lifted  a  little.  As  the  fog 
lifted  we  sighted  a  barque  which  proved,  as  we  drew  up 
to  her,  to  be  an  English  barque  from  Baltimore  to  Ham- 
burg. The  captain  gave  us  the  latitude  as  48.20,  Ion. 
11.50.  Cheers  from  the  crew  rent  the  air,  to  which  we 
heartily  responded  ;  Ave  continued  on  our  way,  and  again 
the  weather  began  to  moderate.  About  three  o'clock  in 
the  morning  of  the  20th  it  again  settled  foggy,  and  re- 
mained so  until  about  10  o'clock,  when  it  lifted  and  the 
sun  soon  broke  through,  with  the  wind  from  the  westward 
and  blowing  quite  heavily. 

Several  vessels  were  in  sight  and  we  ran  close  to  one, 
a  brig  named  Susan,  and  the  captain  gave  us  the  lat.  49.32, 
Ion.  7.30,  also  the  distance  as  fifty-five  miles  from  Scilly. 
He  wanted  us  to  run  alongside,  but  the  wind  blew  so  hard 
and  the  seas  ran  so  high  I  did  not  dare  to  attempt  it,  but 
continued  on  towards  our  destination,  first  thanking  the 
captain  for  the  desired  information.  This  was  very  en- 
couraging to  us.  We  were  nearing  our  long-looked-for 
destination,  and  with  good  luck  we  would  soon  enter  a 
safe  anchorage,  and  my  wife  could  then  have  medical 
attention. 

When  daylight  of  the  21st  appeared  it  was  very  foggy, 
which  held  on  until  about  ten  o'clock,  when  it  lifted.  As 
it  lifted  we  sighted  a  steamer.  We  ran  towards  her,  and 
as  we  drew  near  I  asked  the  captain  how  Scilly  Island 
bore  and  he  answered  by  pointing  for  me,  and  as  I  looked 
I  could  see  the  land.  Oh  !  what  a  welcome  sight.  Words 
cannot  adequately  express  the  delight  we  felt  upon  seeing 
it  before  our  eyes  and  we  lost  no  time  in  heading  for  it, 
but  owing  to  a  strong  current  and  wind  we  were  about 
five  miles  to  the  leeward  when   we  got  abreast  of  them,  so 


120  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

I  kept  off  for  Land's  End,  and  as  we  passed  the  lighthouse 
about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  keeper  dipped  his 
colors  to  us  and  rang  his  bell.  We  continued  on,  saluting 
him  in  return  as  we  passed.  We  arrived  in  Newland, 
Penzance,  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the  night  and  ran  alongside 
of  a  fishing  boat  which  I  hailed,  but  got  no  reply,  as  there 
was  no  one  on  board,  so  I  made  my  boat  fast  and  told  Mrs. 
Crapo  we  would  have  some  good  hot  coffee. 

So,  although  it  was  late  and  I  was  tired,  having  steered 
the  boat  without  any  rest  for  the  past  seventy-two  hours, 
I  felt  so  encouraged  to  think  our  perilous  voyage  was  over 
I  lit  our  oil  stove  and  put  on  our  little  giant  coffeepot. 
We  both  sat  down  watching  it,  and  both  fell  fast  asleep  as 
we  sat  there  and  did  not  wake  up  until  daylight  had  broke. 
My  left  hand  was  useless  from  steering  so  long  and  steadily, 
and  I  was  as  bad  off  as  if  I  did  not  have  any  at  all,  but  of 
course  I  expected  it  would  regain  itself  in  a  short  time. 

Our  long,  perilous  voyage  was  over,  and  here  we  were, 
on  a  Sunday  morning,  made  fast  to  a  fishing  boat  belong- 
ing to  some  inhabitant  of  the  British  Isles.  We  then  filled 
our  lamp  stove  again,  as  it  had  burned  itself  out  while  we 
were  sitting  around  it  asleep,  and  made  ourselves  a  good 
cup  of  coffee,  which  seemed  to  taste  far  better  to  us  than 
it  had  at  any  time  during  our  voyage.  Mrs.  Crapo' s  con- 
dition was  such  as  to  make  anything,  no  matter  how  pal- 
atable, have  a  queer  flat  taste,  and  we  were  both  very 
anxious  to  get  ashore  where  medical  aid  could  be  had  to 
assist  her  in  regaining  her  former  health.  As  she  clothed 
herself  entirely  in  flannel  during  the  voyage  we  did  not 
expect  any  serious  results  would  follow,  yet  when  she  got 
wet  during  heavy  weather  or  rainstorms,  a  change  had  to 
be  made  as  soon  as  convenient,  and  many  times  the  change 
would  be  very  damp,  especially  when  heavy  weather  held 
on  for  any  length  of  time. 


CAPT.  THOS.  CRAPO  AND  WIFE.  12  1 

As  we  had  no  means  of  drying  any  clothes,  excepting 
in  the  sun,  and  as  my  readers  already  know  there  were  a 
great  many  times  when  the  sun  did  not  shine  for  several 
days,  not  only  our  clothes  would  be  wet,  but  our  bed- 
ding besides,  and  everyone  knows  that  a  damp  bed  is  not  a 
pleasant  place  to  seek  for  a  quiet  undisturbed  rest.  Many 
times  the  bed  was  so  wet  that  when  placed  in  the  sun  it 
would  steam  for  a  long  time,  and  as  I  had  nothing  of  any 
account  to  do  while  steering  I  would  watch  the  fine  vapor 
arise  until  it  was  again  perfectly  dry.  After  drinking  our 
coffee  I  managed  to  climb  up  my  foremast  and  rove  my 
signal  halliards  to  hoist  my  colors  with. 

I  found  it  a  very  difficult  task  as  my  hand  was  as  I  have 
stated,  entirely  useless,  and  might  as  well  have  been  cut  off 
for  all  the  good  it  was  at  present.  My  colors  had  not  been 
set  long  before  we  saw  a  boat  approaching,  which  soon 
came  alongside.  The  man  who  was  its  only  occupant 
asked  us  a  great  many  questions  and  seemed  to  be  much 
pleased  to  be  the  one  to  welcome  us  upon  our  safe  arrival. 
He  also  asked  if  we  wished  to  go  on  shore,  and  as  that  was 
our  earnest  desire  he  volunteered  to  land  us  at  once.  As 
we  neared  the  shore  we  saw  a  lady  coming  down  towards 
the  place  where  we  would  land.  This  gave  Mrs.  Crapo 
fresh  courage,  to  see  one  of  her  sex  ready  to  welcome  her, 
and  as  we  stepped  on  shore  she  invited  us  to  go  to  her 
house,  which  was  close  by,  and  have  some  hot  tea. 

We  accepted  this  kind  invitation  and  went  to  her  house, 
when  a  steaming  cup  of  hot  tea  and  a  tempting  breakfast 
was  placed  before  us.  As  we  had  been  drinking  coffee 
during  our  voyage  tea  was  quite  acceptable,  and  we  again 
enjoyed  a  good  hearty  meal  sitting  at  a  well-regulated  table 
whose  comforts  were  far  different  from  what  we  had  to 
put  up  with  for  the  past  forty-nine  days,  and  I  was  much 
pleased  to  see  Mrs.  Crapo — by  the  way,  she  had  eaten  very 


122  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

sparingly  since  the  first  attack  of  sickness — eating  quite  a 
breakfast  and  seemingly  enjoying  it  very  much. 

It  was  surprising  to  see  how  the  news  of  our  arrival 
spread.  The  crowds  gathered  about  the  house  waiting  for 
a  chance  to  see  us.  Hundreds  entered  and  shook  hands 
with  us  and  appeared  perfectly  satisfied  if  they  could  only 
do  so,  or  if  they  could  only  touch  us  in  any  way  they  were 
satisfied.  Mrs.  Crapo  was  the  lion  of  the  hour.  A  woman 
to  cross  the  tempestuous  Atlantic  ocean  in  a  small  boat  like 
ours  was  what  turned  the  people's  heads,  and  all  seemed 
to  be  pleased  to  receive  a  word  from  her.  Even  to  our 
dishes  and  utensils  used  during  our  memorable  voyage  were 
eagerly  sought  for  as  mementoes,  and  as  some  were  silver- 
plated  the  recipients  had  the  dates  of  our  sailing  and  arriv- 
ing neatly  engraved  upon  them.  During  the  day  religious 
services  were  held  in  the  little  church  especially  for  us, 
which  were  attended  by  a  large  number  of  people. 

Every  kindness  was  shown  us  by  the  Cornish  people,  and 
we  were  graciously  received  by  all.  We  remained  at  the 
house  of  the  lady  during  our  stay,  and  it  was  stated  to  us 
that  more  people  visited  us  and  turned  out  to  see  us  than 
did  on  the  arrival  of  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  a 
short  time  before.  Mrs.  Crapo  had  now  nearly  regained 
her  former  health,  thanks  to  the  skill  of  a  physician  recom- 
mended to  us  by  our  landlady,  whose  medicines  worked  a 
great  change  from  the  start.  Every  day  we  were  there 
hundreds  came  to  see  us;  many  came  from* a  long  distance 
on  purpose  to  do  so. 

On  the  27th  of  the  same  month  we  bade  them  good-bye, 
and  with  thanks  to  our  hostess  for  her  kind  attention  during 
our  stay  under  her  roof,  we  left  for  Penzance.  We  again 
entered  our  frail  craft  and  started.  The  distance  was  only 
three  miles,  and  with  a  fair  breeze  it  did  not  take  us  long 
to  go.      On  our  arrival  hundreds  had  gathered  to  see  us, 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  1 23 

attracted  by  our  flags  while  sailing  along,  and  as  the  crowd 
increased  in  numbers  I  did  as  I  was  asked  by  many  of 
them,  which  was  to  sail  around  a  little  while  so  the  crowd 
could  view  the  boat  and  watch  her  sailing  qualities.  I 
sailed  around  for  them  nearly  an  hour,  and  I  thought  the 
crowd  would  go  wild  when  we  ran  alongside  of  the  wharf. 

After  making  fast  I  proceeded  to  take  the  masts  out  of 
her.  After  doing  so  I  then  took  out  my  five  water  kegs, 
— we  had  only  used  from  one  which  held  twenty  gallons, 
as  this  one  was  replenished  by  passing  vessels  at  different 
times.  I  let  what  remained  run  overboard  and  then 
knocked  out  the  bungs  from  the  others  to  do  the  same. 
Owing  to  the  kegs  being  bunged  up  tight  caused  the  water 
to  be  bad  and  unfit  for  use,  providing  we  had  exhausted  our 
other  supply,  and  as  I  turned  them  over  to  let  it  run  out  it 
was  as  thick  as  jelly  and  was  not  fit  for  anything.  Thus 
eighty  gallons  of  the  one  hundred  put  in  the  boat  at  New 
Bedford  before  starting  was  thrown  overboard  at  Penzance. 
If  I  had  left  the  bungs  loose  when  stowing  them  in  the 
boat  would  probably  saved  it  all,  but  be  that  as  it  may  we 
'  were  not  without  during  the  voyage  and  a  fresh  supply  was 
tendered  by  every  vessel  we  spoke. 

After  emptying  the  kegs  I  put  slings  on  the  boat  and 
hoisted  her  out  with  a  crane  on  the  wharf.  As  she  hung 
in  mid-air  a  gentleman  approached  and  asked  me  if  I  was 
willing  he  took  a  photograph  of  her  as  she  hung,  to  which 
I  willingly  consented,  and  he  made  preparations  to  do  so. 
A  large  multitude  of  people  were  present  at  the  time.  After 
he  had  taken  the  photographs  I  had  her  put  on  board  of 
the  cars  and  we  started  for  London,  where  we  arrived  the 
next  morning. 

We  were  met  at  the  depot  by  my  wife's  father,  who  had 
been  on  the  lookout  for  us  for  several  days,  so  we  accom- 
panied him   to  his  home.      During  the  forenoon  he  and  I 


Z 

< 

a 
z 

UJ 

ul 
u 

z 
< 

N 

z 

UJ 

a. 

< 

UJ 
< 

U. 

O 

D 

o 

Q 

UJ 
</) 

I— I 

o 

a: 

o 
z 

UJ 

03 


Q 

o 

U-, 
Q 

UJ 
03 

UJ 

Z 


UJ 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  1 25 

paid  a  visit  to  the  American  Consul  when  I  delivered  up 
my  papers,  or  rather  the  letter  given  to  me  by  the  Custom 
House  officials  at  New  Bedford,  as  was  explained  in  the 
first  part  of  the  voyage.  And  below  is  a  copy  of  his  given 
to  me  : 

United  States  Consulate  General,  London. 

Exhibited  at  this  Office,  July  28th,  1877. 

J.  VINING, 
Vice  Consul  General  and  Shipping 
Commissioner  at  London. 

No  wonder  he  looked  at  me  when  he  read  the  letter,  as 
such  a  marine  document  had  never  passed  through  his 
hands  before,  and  to  enter  such  records  of  so  small  a  craft 
was  novel  in  itself.  He  asked  a  great  many  questions 
about  our  trip  across  and  said  he  was  more  than  pleased  to 
welcome  us.  We  remained  and  talked  for  quite  a  length 
of  time,  and  then  started  back  to  my  wife's  father's  home. 
On  our  arrival  we  found  that  there  had  been  three  or  four 
agents  of  museums  and  shows  to  try  to  make  arrangements 
with  us  to  exhibit  ourselves  and  boat.  One  was  an  agent 
for  an  aquarium,  and  one  from  the  Alexander  Palace. 
The  others  did  not  say  what  they  represented. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  we  went  to  the  Alexander  Palace, 
and  it  did  not  take  long  to  complete  arrangements. 

This  Alexander  Palace,  as  it  is  called,  is  a  grand  affair. 
The  large  brick  building  covers  a  great  many  acres,  to  all 
appearances,  and  the  grounds  cover  a  great  many  more. 
The  show  consists  of  circus,  minstrel,  museum,  opera, 
drama,  aquarium,  horse  racing,  cricket,  base  ball,  and  a 
hundred  and  one  other  things  too  numerous  to  mention. 
We  were  engaged  at  a  large  salary,  and  the  crowds  that 
flocked  around  us  was  surprising.  There  was  no  end  to 
the  questions  asked,  which  must  at  all  times  be  answered 


126  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

civilly.  Many  times  the  same  question  would  be  asked 
dozens  of  times  during  the  day  and  evening1,  which,  though 
very  aggravating,  must  be  put  up  with,  as  we  were  hired 
to  answer  questions  and  must  treat  every  one  with  due 
respect. 

Several  of  the  Royal  Family  attended  while  we  were 
there.  The  out-door  exhibitions  in  the  evening  were  mag- 
nificent, to  say  the  least,  and  crowds  were  going  and  com- 
ing all  the  time.  The  price  of  admission  only  entitled  the 
holder  of  the  ticket  to  an  entrance  to  the  building,  then 
each  performance  had  a  cash  price  of  its  own.  To  take  in 
the  whole  affair  would  take  several  days  and  nights,  and 
would  cost  quite  a  little  sum  of  money  besides.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  United  States  that  can  begin  to  compare  with 
it.  We  remained  there  about  six  weeks  and  were  visited 
by  thousands  of  people,  each  one  elbowing  their  way  to 
get  as  near  to  us  as  possible,  and  the  rush  held  on  from 
early  morn  until  late  at  night.  As  fast  as  one  would  draw 
out  others  took  their  places. 

After  completing  our  contract,  we  contracted  to  go  to 
Liverpool  to  a  place  called  Rockferry  Garden,  on  the 
Berkenhead  side.  We  had  no  trouble  in  securing  large 
salaries,  as  the  head  ones  knew  that  the  crowds  attracted  to 
see  us  would  be  large,  and  so  they  were.  Sea  captains, 
young  and  old,  visited  us,  and  many  wondered  how  I  came 
to  take  such  a  dangerous  voyage,  knowing  the  ocean  as  I 
did;  one  in  particular,  an  old  gray-haired  veteran,  came 
several  times  to  see  and  talk  with  us  about  the  passage. 

Sea-faring  men  in  particular  forced  their  way  in  where 
they  could  shake  hands  with  us,  and  Mrs.  Crapo  was  sur- 
rounded most  of  the  time  by  the  gentler  sex,  who  seemed 
to  admire  her  courage  in  risking  her  life  in  such  a  frail 
craft.  The  same  questions  were  asked  over  and  over  again. 
Everybody  seemed  to   want  to  ask  something ;    our  auto- 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  1 27 

graphs  were  asked  for  by  hundreds  of  people,  and  we  did 
our  best  to  please  everybody.  We  remained  there  about 
five  weeks,  when  we  started  for  Oldham  to  fill  an  engage- 
ment there.  We  exhibited  in  what  is  called  the  Alexander 
skating  rink.  We  remained  two  weeks,  when  we  went  to 
Brighton,  a  well-known  watering  place.  We  exhibited  at 
the  King's  Road  skating  rink,  where  we  were  again  sur- 
rounded by  large  crowds  of  people.  We  remained  there 
for  a  long  time. 

We  were  visited  a  great  many  times  by  a  gentleman 
named  Ashbury,  or  Ashbrey,  who,  at  the  time,  was  await- 
ing the  arrival  of  President  Grant  in  his  tour  around  the 
world.  He  told  us  that  he  would  do  his  best  to  have  the 
President  call  on  us  during  his  stay.  On  his  arrival  at  the 
gentleman's  home  we  sent  a  written  invitation  to  him,  but 
as  his  time  was  about  all  taken  up  he  could  not  do  so,  but 
after  his  departure  we  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Ashbury' s 
Secretary  stating  that  the  President  sent  us  his  regrets  in 
not  being  able  to  call  on  us,  as  he  would  have  been  pleased 
to  do  so.  The  letter  was  burned  in  the  car  at  the  fire  at 
Mobley,  Mo. 

After  completing  our  engagement  we  went  to  a  place 
called  Worthing,  about  twelve  miles  from  Brighton,  where 
we  exhibited  in  another  rink.  We  remained  about  two 
weeks,  and  during  the  time  were  visited  by  thousands  who 
came  expressly  to  see  us.  From  there  we  returned  to 
Brighton  again  and  exhibited  in  what  is  called  the  Brighton 
west  pier,  which  is  a  promenade  built  out  over  the  water. 
We  remained  there  about  two  weeks  when  we  again  re- 
turned to  London,  where  we  secured  passage  on  the  ocean 
steamship  Canada.  Our  boat  was  brought  over  free  of 
charge,  and  a  pleasant  time  we  had.  We  left  London  for 
New  York  Jan.  4th,  1S78,  and  was  sixteen  days  on  the 
passage,  which  was  far  pleasanter  than  our  passage  over. 


128  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

Everything  was  done  that  we  could  wish  for  to  make  it 
pleasant  for  us. 

Mrs.  Crapo  especially  enjoyed  the  return  passage  very 
much.  On  our  arrival  in  New  York  we  were  much  sought 
for  by  agents  of  museums  and  other  shows.  My  wife 
strongly  objected  to  exhibiting  in  a  museum,  no  matter 
what  the  salary  was  that  was  offered.  We  therefore  hired 
a  place  on  Broadway  and  exhibited  the  boat  about  two 
weeks.  At  that  time  there  was  a  large  company  at  Gil- 
more' s  Garden,  now  called  Madison  Square  Garden.  We 
closed  the  place  on  Broadway  and  went  there.  While 
there  we  engaged  to  join  a  circus  that  at  that  time  was  in 
winter  quarters,  but  was  soon  to  open  at  the  Garden. 
When  they  opened  we  were  assigned  a  place  in  the  me- 
nagerie where  the  crowds  flocked  around  us,  asking  all 
sorts  of  questions ;  the  American  people  take  the  cake  in 
asking  questions,  and  they  kept  us  quite  busy.  We  sold 
hundreds  of  photographs  of  ourselves  and  boat.  We  re- 
mained there  about  six  weeks,  when  we  started  on  the 
road.  When  exhibiting  our  boat  we  had  her  two  masts 
in  and  all  sail  set  and  she  could  be  seen  from  one  end  of 
the  tent  to  the  other,  so  everybody  flocked  around  us  to  get 
a  close  view  of  her. 

Right  here  I  wish  to  say  that  the  news  of  our  sail  across 
the  Atlantic  and  our  safe  arrival  was  daily  commented  on 
and  many  papers  and  magazines  inserted  long  pieces  about 
it.  The  London  Standard  of  July  23rd,  just  after  our 
arrival,  printed  a  long  and  accurate  account  which  was 
copied  by  many  others.  The  New  York  Police  News 
copied  it,  and  through  its  medium  it  was  well  circulated. 
The  book  called  the  Young  Scientist  gave  a  good  and 
lengthy  description  of  our  voyage,  coupled  with  pictures 
of  situations.  We  have  in  our  possession  many  papers 
which    spoke    very    nicely    about    it,   also    many    that    are 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  I  29 

printed  in  other  languages  which  we  do  not  understand, 
yet  we  keep  them  as  mementoes  of  our  eventful  voyage. 
I  here  call  my  reader's  attention  to  one  from  a  correspon- 
dent dated  Penzance,  Sunday  (which  was  the  day  we 
went  on  shore  on  our  arrival  in  England),  which  will  give 
a*  fair  idea  of  the  others.     It  read  thus  : 

"  I  was  startled  this  morning,  just  at  the  commencement 
of  church,  to  hear  that  the  boat  which  had  left  America 
for  England,  with  only  a  man  and  woman  on  board,  had 
arrived  at  Penzance.  On  glancing  along  the  promenade 
I  saw  right  away  under  Newlyn,  a  little  boat  with  two 
masts  lying  at  anchor,  whilst  surrounding  her  were  a  clus- 
ter of  Newlyn  boats  filled  with  spectators  who  had  come 
to  see  the  wonderful  little  craft.  The  New  Bedford  is  a 
boat  about  twenty  feet  long,  and  of  the  registered  tonnage 
of  one  and  sixty-two  one  hundredths,  a  little  over  one  and 
one-half  tons. 

"  She  carries  two  masts,  one  anchor  and  a  drogue.  She 
is  built  of  cedar  and  is  rigged  as  what  is  known  as  '  leg  of 
mutton  rigged  schooner.'  The  name  of  the  owner  is  Cap- 
tain Thomas  Crapo,  aged  thirty-five,  who  with  his  wife  has 
so  bravely  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  so  tiny  a  craft.  The 
voyage  was  commenced  on  May  28th,  when  the  little  vessel 
left  New  Bedford,  but  by  stress  of  weather  she  had  to  put 
into  Chatham,  Massachusetts,  where  she  stayed  until  the 
second  of  June,  when  the  sails  were  again  hoisted,  and  the 
little  pigmy  left  on  her  perilous  voyage  with  a  fair  wind." 

It  then  goes  on  to  illustrate  what  we  passed  through, 
which  my  readers  are  already  familiar  with,  and  ends  up 
thus  : 

"  Among  the  many  extraordinary  things  connected  with 
the  voyage  is  that  it  had  to  be  run  by  dead  reckoning,  as 
the  New  Bedford  was  not  large  enough  to  carry  a  chronom- 
eter.    Captain  and  Mrs.   Crapo  seemed  wonderfully  well 


130  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

after  the  hardships  they  had  undergone,  though  the  captain 
has  a  bad  hand,  and  when  he  came  ashore  it  was  firmly 
clenched  through  being  forced  to  steer  for  seventy  hours 
without  rest. 

"  The  house  they  stopped  at  was  invaded  by  a  multitude 
of  people  eager  to  shake  hands  with  so  brave  a  couple. 
The  boat  was  also  an  object  of  interest  and  was  admired 
by  hundreds  of  people. 

"  No  one  knows  the  loneliness  of  the  ocean  but  those  who 
have  experienced  it,  and  apart  from  the  question  of  peril, 
which  probably  the  captain  would  not  dwell  upon  too 
strongly,  the  pair  must  have  known  that  they  were  under- 
taking a  task  as  trying  to  the  brain  from  its  monotony  as  to 
the  physical  powers  from  its  constant  strain  upon  them. 

"  Luckily  the  only  accident  was  a  broken  rudder  and  the 
loss  of  a  trifling  item  of  gearing,  and  the  lady's  greatest 
complaint  is  that  she  could  not  sleep  for  the  whales,  and 
the  captain's  was  that  he  could  not  stretch  his  limbs.  His 
hand  is  still  numb  from  his  hard  labor  at  the  tiller,  but  will 
undoubtedly  be  all  right  again  in  a  short  time." 

At  last  we  were  booked  for  the  season  to  travel  with 
Howe's  great  London  circus,  and  left  New  York  for  Nor- 
walk,  Conn.,  Sunday,  May  28th,  where  we  were  to  exhibit 
the  following  day.  We  exhibited  in  most  of  the  large 
cities  throughout  New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  Rhode 
Island,  Connecticut,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Indi- 
ana, Illinois,  Missouri,  Kansas,  Iowa,  Tennessee,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  West  Virginia.  The  most  exciting  experience 
while  with  them  was  while  we  were  asleep  in  the  train, 
which  was  sidetracked  at  Moberly,  Missouri,  when  all  of  a 
sudden  some  one  cried  fire,  and  on  looking  out  of  the  win- 
dow we  saw  that  the  baggage  car  which  contained  the  bag- 
gage of  the  show,  including  many  of  our  clothes  and 
presents  given  to  us  in  England,  was  a  mass  of  flames. 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  131 

Everything  was  burned  to  ashes  before  our  eyes,  as  there 
was  no  chance  whatever  to  put  the  fire  out.  Nothing  was 
left  but  the  iron  work,  which  was  the  only  part  that  would 
not  burn.  We  were  very  sorry  to  lose  our  things,  espe- 
cially our  presents,  but  it  could  not  be  helped  so  we  had  to 
make  the  best  of  it.  The  last  place  we  exhibited  with  them 
was  in  Brooklyn.  As  we  had  been  roaming  around  with 
them  about  six  months  we  decided  to  leave  and  return  to 
New  Bedford  with  our  boat,  which  we  did,  and  as  we  had 
done  as  we  intended  to  in  crossing  to  England,  we  were 
not  ashamed  to  return  to  our  starting  place,  as  we  had  the 
laugh  all  on  our  side  this  time. 

I  remained  in  New  Bedford  through  the  winter,  and  in 
the  spring  I  bought  a  schooner  named  the  James  Parker, 
Sr.,  of  a  hundred  and  five  tons  burthen,  and  started  in  the 
coasting  trade  as  captain  and  owner.  Mrs.  Crapo  went 
with  me  and  had  a  good  chance  to  see  considerable  of  the 
country  along  the  coast ;  we  carried  a  great  many  different 
cargoes  during  the  season,  some  up  the  Connecticut  and 
Hudson  rivers.  Early  in  November  I  laid  her  alongside 
the  wharf  at  New  London,  Conn.,  for  the  winter.  Mrs. 
Crapo  and  myself  kept  house  on  board  and  took  as  much 
comfort  as  though  installed  in  a  mansion.  We  could  go 
ashore  when  we  chose  and  have  just  as  good  times. 

Early  in  the  following  spring  I  had  a  good  offer  for  the 
vessel,  so  I  accepted  it  and  returned  to  New  Bedford, 
where  I  remained  but  a  few  days  when  I  bought  another 
one  named  the  Adelia  Felicia,  of  a  120  tons  register.  My 
first  cargo  was  for  Middletown,  Conn.,  and  as  soon  as  I 
arrived  I  sent  for  Mrs.  Crapo  to  join  me,  which  she  did. 
We  sailed  her  throughout  the  summer  until  nearly  Christ- 
mas, when  I  hauled  alongside  the  wharf  at  New  Bedford 
for  the  winter,  and  started  again  in  the  spring,  running  to 
and  from  different  ports  from  Maine  to  Virginia,  wherever 


15-  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

we  could  get  a  paying  cargo,  and  late  in  the  fall  we  again 
put  in  at  New  Bedford  for  winter  quarters. 

The  following  spring  we  started  again  and  took  a  cargo 
wherever  or  whenever  we  could  get  it.  We  continued 
through  the  warm  months  and  as  soon  as  cold  weather  set 
in  we  hauled  up  this  time  at  Wareham,  on  Cape  Cod, 
Massachusetts.  When  warm  weather  opened  we  again 
began  plying  our  trade  and  continued  to  do  so  until  Sept. 
3 .  when  I  sold  the  vessel.  I  sold  her  while  lying  at 
anchor  at  Port  Che  New  York,  and  was  to  deliver  her 

at  Perth  Ambov.  Xew  Jersey,  as  soon  as  we  discharged 
our  cargo.  After  delivering  her,  Mrs.  Crapo  and  myself 
returned  to  Xew  Bedford  and  settled  down  to  housekeep- 
ing. .-.;  my  wife  declared  she  was  not  going  to  sea  anv 
mc: 

In  M  jf  the  following  vear  I  bought  the  schooner 

e  Wilson,  of  a  hundred  and  fortv-one  tons  register, 

and  ran  her  through  the  season.      As'  cold  weather  set  in 

I   chartered  to  go  to   the  West  Indies.      I  went  from  the 

West  Indies  to  Maracaibo    to    load  for   Xew    York.      On 

arriving  at  Maracaibo  I  had  to  take  on  a  pilot  and  go   up 

the  lagoon  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  mile-.      The   scen- 

7  be  pie:       _.   and    many  I  s  could  be  seen 

built  on  spiles  out  into  the  water.     And  alligators,  there 

r.o  end  to  t.  the  lagoons  were  full  of  them.      The 

pilot  and  I  took  the  schooner's  boat  and  went  up  a  small 

bay,  or  lagoon,  as  they  are  called,  and    had   great    sport 

Jting  at  them.     I  fired    all    the    cartridges   I  had    and 

.ild  have  fired  ma.         tore   if  I  had  had  them. 

Th  gh  that  a  bullet  from  a  re 

didn't  seer.'-   -  .   much  effect  on  them.     X 

enjoyed  it  as  much  as  though  i  had 

'-■::.  t  "    :ne.      The         mid    irag  the  .he  bank 

and  lay  for  hou  ith  their    e  shut    and   you    would 


: APT .    z       - 

:;-.;-;    :;.e      '  -  ; : :     .'-...'.    ':.:    ::.::;  : .- ;  .v.    :r.    i:.'     "■:.'.-   ;;  : 
?:.  :".v   v:u  ::    ie   ;  As       e   i:5  n: 

-  -.     .  _  .  -    ::    hre    ;.:   ther.         :  :  ro^ri 

;      :    v.  ri  ::~.  ;  ::  wiT  ur   :  if  r. .  r    :        j 

:-  .     "ch:rei  i"    *"r>:  " ' -. .  :\i:h:~s   of  wati 

.-.r.  ~    '•"••:       fi.:i    ::    ""    -.-.         f ;  .~ir.::.5  :;r    : ...         j       .ir 

ere  :  : :  _  -  ...-.-.        ::e; 

e  the  s        :i    :  ^  .        -  ".   -  -       .  the  r 

-..;_;-  _                 res  h;    r^~e    ;~ 

;                                     _  "    -.                                                -.    - 

:  :?  -                                -          :    I   irjcuirei 

-  -   ,          .                        r .-.        -       -     ~e. 

-  -;kv.  c  *-";  -  .         -        . 

:  s  -  -  -  fver  seer.  ; :: f 

V     .  .    . 

I  wi:::;         em  fc  .         _  -.le.  bop- 

-.  er.ier. 

m 

e  ::i   ; 

shdtef  froir.   them.  .:;:";:   >:.";:   &  rxv>r 

-  -         _  -  -    - "       -    -  - 

.  n,      -        .  t       appej        -  -    s    ■ 

si 


UJ 

-J 

> 
z 

O 
m 

< 

O 

u- 

or 
O 
>< 

UJ 

Z 

u 
z 

> 
< 

UJ 

z 

o 

tO 


U4 

H 
(/3 

D 
O 

ug 
Z 

o 
o 

x 

u 

to 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  1 35 

soon  as  we  finished  loading  we  sailed  for  New  York,  and 
experienced  a  very  rough  passage,  but  we  arrived  without 
serious  accident  and  discharged  our  cargo  and  chartered 
to  load  coal  at  Elizabethport,  New  Jersey,  for  Province- 
town,  on  Cape  Cod.  From  Provincetown  I  ran  in  at  New 
Bedford  and  hauled  up  for  several  days,  as  there  was  so 
much  ice  in  the  bay  it  was  not  much  pleasure  to  try  to 
run,  as  freights  were  so  low  and  it  took  so  long  to  go  from 
one  place  to  the  other  there  was  not  much  left  after  paying 
expenses,  so  I  thought  I  would  wait  a  few  days  to  see  if 
some  of  the  ice  wouldn't  drift  out  to  sea. 

While  at  the  wharf  I  had  a  good  offer  for  her,  and  I 
decided  to  let  her  remain  my  property  a  while  longer  at 
least.  I  chartered  to  take  a  cargo  from  Haverstraw  to 
Mosquito  Inlet,  Florida ;  we  loaded  brick,  cement  and 
other  material  for  masons  use.  We  had  80,000  brick  on 
board  and  had  to  land  them  through  the  surf,  which  was  a 
dangerous  task.  All  had  to  be  carried  in  our  yawl  boat, 
and  as  we  neared  the  shore  we  had  to  jump  overboard 
and  hold  on  to  the  boat  to  keep  her  from  tipping  over 
and  spilling  the  brick ;  she  was  nearly  half  full  of  water 
every  time  we  carried  a  load  ashore,  where  the  surf  would 
dash  over  her.  It  was  tedious  work  and  took  us  about  two 
weeks.  We  were  wet  through  from  daylight  to  dark, 
which  was  not  very  pleasant,  yet  as  the  water  was  warm 
we  did  not  suffer  much  from  exposure.  It  was  a  pleasing 
sound  when  it  was  announced  that  we  had  the  last  of  them. 

After  unloading  we  sailed  for  Jacksonville,  Florida,  to 
load  hard  pine  for  New  London,  Connecticut.  From  there 
I  went  to  New  Bedford,  where  I  remained  about  three 
weeks.  During  my  stay  a  schooner  arrived  loaded  with 
corn  for  parties  in  New  Bedford.  W'hile  entering  the 
harbor  she  struck  on  a  rock,  and  by  the  time  she  reached 
the  wharf  she  sank.     I   was   chartered   to  take  the  cargo 


I36  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

out  of  her  and  load  it  into  my  vessel,  which  took  us  about 
a  week,  working  a  large  gang  day  and  night. 

We  finished  at  last  and  started  for  New  York,  where  we 
arrived  safe  and  sound  and  began  unloading,  which  was  a 
very  hard  job,  as  the  corn  was  a  dirty,  soggy  mess,  and  we 
were  glad  when  it  was  all  out.  From  there  we  sailed  to 
Elizabethport  and  loaded  coal  for  Wareham.  After  dis- 
charging we  returned  to  New  York  and  chartered  to  load 
for  Jacksonville,  Florida.  Our  cargo  consisted  of  material 
for  life-saving  stations.  At  this  time  I  agreed  to  take 
two  more  cargoes  of  the  same  kind  down  the  Florida  coast. 
We  had  more  or  less  rough  weather,  but  nothing  serious 
happened. 

The  brick,  paint,  oils  and  cement  we  had  to  carry  on 
shore  in  our  yawl  boat,  and  about  every  time  we  went 
ashore  in  her  she  would  capsize  in  the  surf,  and  we  had  to 
keep  our  eyes  open  and  get  it  on  shore  before  it  got  spoiled 
in  the  surf.  The  lumber  and  shingles  we  rafted  ashore ; 
the  surf  was  so  heavy  that  every  time  we  rafted  a  load 
ashore  the  raft  would  go  to  pieces  and  scatter  it  all  along 
the  beach,  and  it  was  fortunate  that  there  was  a  large  gang 
on  shore  to  catch  it  or  a  great  deal  would  probably  have 
been  lost.  We  had  this  to  go  through  in  five  different 
places  where  a  certain  quantity  was  to  be  left.  After 
finishing  the  last,  which  was  put  ashore  up  the  Injun  River, 
we  went  to  Jacksonville,  where  we  were  to  load  hard  pine 
for  New  York. 

While  unloading  I  was  chartered  to  take  a  load  of  hard 
pine  from  Jacksonville  to  St.  Thomas  in  the  West  Indies, 
and  was  allowed  the  privilege  of  taking  a  cargo  to  Jackson- 
ville, which  would  be  far  better  for  me  than  to  go  empty. 
1  found  a  cargo  at  last  and  proceeded  to  put  it  on  board. 
It  consisted  of  147  1-2  tons  of  railroad  iron;  not  a  very 
desirable  cargo,  but  it  was  take  that  or  nothing,  and  as  I 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  1 37 

was  in  a  hurry  I  took  it.  The  worst  of  all  was  that  we  had 
to  keep  about  forty  ton  on  deck.  All  sailors  object  to  a 
deck  load,  and  are  none  to  blame  for  it,  as  it  is  always  in 
the  way,  especially  in  heavy  weather  or  a  gale  of  wind. 
I  had  at  the  time  a  crew  of  six  men,  so  with  plenty  of  help 
we  were  ready  for  a  start  in  a  very  short  time  after  we 
began  loading. 

We  left  New  York  August  i8th,  and  had  very  good 
weather,  and  by  the  25th  we  were  off  Cape  Hatteras  in 
company  with  a  fleet  of  about  twenty  other  vessels,  and 
the  wind  was  beginning  to  blow  very  strong  from  the 
southwest,  and  before  night  set  in  the  sky  was  very  heavy 
and  the  wind  was  howling  through  the  rigging.  The 
wind  increased  as  the  night  went  by,  and  before  morning 
it  was  blowing  a  hurricane ;  the  swell  had  changed  to  a 
heavy  sea  and  the  vessel's  rails  were  under  water  most  of 
the  time.  Our  cargo  was  a  dead  weight  in  her.  If  it  had 
been  lumber  or  some  buoyant  material  she  would  have 
behaved  far  better.  These  are  the  times  when  good  sea- 
manship is  required  to  weather  a  gale,  yet  with  a  cargo  of 
iron  we  stood  a  very  poor  show. 

But  we  would  do  all  that  could  be  done,  and  if  there  was 
any  chance  of  saving  the  vessel  and  cargo  we  would  do  so. 
And  rain,  how  it  did  pour  down  ;  we  did  not  mind  it  very 
much  as  we  were  all  wet  completely  through  already  by  the 
seas  breaking  over  the  vessel.  For  several  hours  we  ran 
with  her  prow  pointing  right  into  the  gale.  We  did  not 
dare  to  show  much  canvas  for  the  gale  was  growing  more 
and  more  furious  all  the  time,  and  she  had  all  she  could 
do  to  live  in  such  an  angry  sea. 

At  three  o'clock  Wednesday  morning,  Aug.  26th,  a  re- 
markable incident  occurred.  The  wind  suddenly  ceased 
and  for  about  two  minutes  there  was  a  dead  calm.  The 
waves  raised  by  the  gale  were  running  fifty  or  sixty  feet 


I38  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

high,  and  our  little  schooner  was  one  moment  on  the  crest 
of  a  tremendous  billow  and  the  next  she  would  sink  way- 
down  in  the  trough  with  her  masts  barely  reaching  above 
the  crest  of  the  high  seas. 

The  lull  in  the  storm  was  very  brief  and  I  was  about  to 
put  more  sail  on  her  when  the  wind  came  from  the  north- 
east, which  my  readers  will  see  was  directly  opposite  from 
what  it  had  been  blowing  and  blew  harder  than  ever.  The 
wind  was  blowing  at  least  seventy  miles  an  hour.  With 
the  wind  blowing  in  one  direction  and  the  seas  running  in 
another  made  the  water  fearfully  rough,  and  it  required 
good  seamanship  to  keep  her  heading  right.  Had  we 
been  caught  in  such  a  way  as  to  bring  her  side  to  the 
storm,  with  the  wind  against  her  on  one  side  and  the 
heavy  seas  on  the  other  would  have  foundered  her  in  a 
moment's  time,  but  we  were  very  fortunate  so  far  in  keep- 
ing her  head  into  it. 

About  half  past  five  we  shipped  a  heavy  sea  which  car- 
ried away  our  jib-boom  and  started  a  leak  in  our  knight- 
heads,  and  it  now  began  to  look  dark  for  us.  She  would 
in  all  probability  make  water  very  fast  as  she  was  straining 
so  heavily.  And  to  make  matters  worse  our  fore-topmast 
was  carried  away,  which  made  her  labor  very  hard.  I  soon 
discovered  that  she  was  taking  in  water  faster  than  I  had 
anticipated  she  would,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  that  unless 
the  gale  abated  very  speedily  there  was  no  hope  for  us,  and 
by  seven  o'clock  I  told  the  crew  to  make  ready  to  abandon 
her  to  her  fate. 

All  we  had  to  depend  on  now  was  our  small  boat,  a 
yawl  used  for  taking  a  line  to  shore  or  to  go  ashore  in,  or, 
in  fact,  she  came  in  handy  a  great  many  times,  especially 
at  this  time.  Now  the  question  of  the  moment  was,  could 
we  launch  her  safely  in  such  a  furious  sea  ?  and  the  only 
answer  to  it  was  try  and  see,  which  we  did,  and  joy  of  joys, 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  1 39 

we  landed  her  right  side  up  with  care  into  that  seething 
sea,  and  as  she  struck  the  water  I  jumped  into  her  to  hold 
her  alongside,  at  the  same  time  calling  to  my  crew  to  get 
in  as  quick  as  possible  as  the  boat  was  in  imminent  danger 
of  being  crushed  against  the  side  of  the  vessel,  but,  luckily, 
no  such  misfortune  befell  us. 

Our  cook,  a  colored  man  from  Boston,  tried  to  catch 
some  lumber  thrown  overboard  by  the  crew  in  case  the 
boat  tipped  over,  and  it  swept  out  of  his  reach  as  he  either 
fell  or  jumped  into  the  seething  sea  without  catching  hold 
of  anything.  All  of  us  in  the  boat  saw  his  head  once  as 
he  came  to  the  top  of  the  water,  but  he  was  dead.  The 
furious  sea  that  had  been  so  destructive  to  the  schooner  by 
tumbling  her  about  caught  the  yawl  boat  as  though  it  was 
a  chip  and  tossed  it  high  in  the  air  and  then  let  it  drop  into 
the  hollow  of  the  waves,  and  it  looked  as  though  it  would 
be  smashed  to  pieces  any  moment. 

We  had  not  left  the  schooner  five  minutes  before  she 
careened.  One  rail  went  down  under  water  and  the  next 
minute  she  disappeared  altogether,  going  down  bow  first. 
Such  was  her  fate,  and  what  ours  would  be  the  Lord  only 
knew.  I  don't  know  whether  anyone  but  ourselves  saw 
her  go  down,  but  it  was  a  sorry  sight,  especially  for  us, 
and  left  as  we  were,  yet  there  were  other  vessels  not  a 
great  distance  off,  battling  with  the  wind  and  waves  in 
order  to  remain  afloat.  We  had  not  been  in  the  boat  a 
half  hour  when  she  was  swamped  by  cross  seas  and  she 
turned  over  as  quick  as  a  flash,  but  luckily  we  were  on 
our  guard  and  scrambled  for  the  bottom  of  her,  which  was 
now  the  top. 

I  got  a  good  hold  and  kept  it,  but  the  other  four  were 
not  so  fortunate  as  a  large  sea  took  them  away,  but  the 
next  one  brought  them  back  and  they  succeeded  in  getting 
back    to    and    on    top    of   the    boat.      Sometimes  we  were 


\ 


y 


TP« 


z 

o 

I/) 


UJ 

</) 

D 
O 

0? 
UJ 

z 

o 
o 

I 
u 
I/) 

UJ 

I 

fr- 
it, 

o 

U 

UJ 


CAPT.  THOS.  CRAPO  AND  WIFE.  141 

thrown  forty  or  fifty  feet  away  from  the  boat  but  managed 
to  get  back  again.  After  a  while  she  righted  and  we  again 
got  inside,  but  very  soon  she  was  again  sent  whirling  over 
and  over  and  we  were  all  struggling  to  get  back.  I  should 
judge  it  was  about  eight  o'clock  when  Daniel  Cume,  a  sea- 
man from  Middletown,  Connecticut,  was  swept  off,  and 
being  very  much  exhausted  he  did  not  have  the  strength  to 
get  back,  so  he  was  lost.  This  left  us  only  four  out  of  our 
crew  of  six,  and  unless  we  were  rescued  very  soon  there 
would  be  none  left  to  tell  the  story. 

At  last  we  saw  a  large  two-masted  schooner  coming 
towards  us  and  our  courage  arose  at  once,  but  those  on 
board  did  not  appear  to  see  us  as  she  swept  on  and  was 
soon  lost  to  view.  The  wind  still  howled  and  we  began 
to  look  our  fate  squarely  in  the  face  ;  such  times  as  these  a 
person  thinks,  if  he  ever  does,  and  rapidly  too.  Every  few 
minutes  some  of  us  would  be  washed  off,  and  none  of  us 
could  tell  who  would  be  the  next  victim  claimed  by  mother 
ocean.  I  knew  there  must  be  other  vessels  close  by,  but  the 
sea  was  so  rough  we  could  not  be  seen  a  half  of  a  mile. 

I  honestly  believe  I  was  swept  off  the  boat  at  least  a 
hundred  times  but  was  always  fortunate  in  getting  back 
again.  The  seas,  I  should  judge,  were  running  all  of 
seventy  feet  high,  and  it  would  have  made  a  landsman 
dizzy  to  have  looked  down  into  the  trough.  That  was  a 
boiling  sea,  and  with  all  my  going  to  sea  I  never  saw  its 
equal  and  hope  I  never  shall  again.  After  the  large 
schooner  passed  us  we  did  not  see  another  sail  until  noon, 
when  one  appeared  with  hardly  enough  canvas  spread  to 
make  an  awning.  We  were  seen  from  her  and  she  began 
to  drift  towards  us  but  missed  us  as  another  schooner  ran 
between  and  by  us. 

The  schooner  was  the  Emily  Northam,  under  command 
of  Captain  H.  H.  Stetson,  as  brave  a  captain  as  sails  the 


0 


*m 


z 

O 
</) 


Ul 

P 
I/) 

^> 
o 

UJ 

X 
U, 

O 

i/) 

ex 

O 
> 

> 

ex 

D 
C/J 

w 

X 

a 

z 

3 

u 
in 

UJ 

or 

< 

x 

O 
z 


ex 

UJ 

z 

o 
o 

x 

u 

I/) 


fc.^,    , 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  1 43 

seas  anywhere.  When  he  found  he  was  going  to  miss  us 
he  ran  on  out  of  sight,  and  very  soon  we  saw  him  work- 
ing back  along  towards  us.  My  readers  must  understand 
that  it  took  a  smart  man  to  keep  his  vessel  afloat  in  that 
gale,  to  say  nothing  of  working  around  to  save  the  sur- 
vivors from  other  vessels.  My  companions  declared  the 
schooner  would  not  come  back,  but  I  was  quite  sure  she 
would.  Ned  Walsh,  one  of  the  seamen,  had  dropped  off 
and  was  floating  with  a  piece  of  timber  under  each  arm. 
The  mate,  R.  S.  Pettingill,  was  hanging  to  the  forward 
part  of  the  boat,  and  every  sea  that  struck  him  knocked  his 
breast  against  the  boat. 

I  could  see  he  was  terribly  hurt.  The  poor  fellow,  how 
I  pitied  him,  and  yet  I  could  do  nothing  for  him.  I  could 
see  he  was  dying,  and  it  was  a  terrible  sight.  His  breast 
must  have  been  crushed  to  a  jelly,  but  he  held  on  pluckily 
until  just  before  the  Emily  Northam  picked  us  up,  when 
he  dropped  off.  His  body  floated  around  and  did  not  sink, 
so  it  was  certain  he  was  not  drowned. 

Kind  friends,  permit  me  to  say  there  is  not,  I  don't 
believe,  one  man  in  five  hundred  that  could  handle  a  vessel 
as  Captain  Stetson  did  that  day,  and  as  the  story  continues 
I  will  give  my  readers  what  Captain  Stetson  said  about  the 
rescue. 

Charles  Wickland,  a  Swede,  the  only  seaman  that  was 
able  to  remain  on  the  boat  with  me,  was  so  overjoyed  at 
the  rescue  that  his  mind  was  affected  almost  as  soon  as  he 
got  on  board  of  the  Northam,  and  had  to  be  put  into  an 
asylum  as  soon  as  we  arrived  in  port.  My  schooner  was 
valued  at  four  thousand  dollars  and  was  insured  for  twenty- 
five  hundred  dollars ;  the  cargo  was  also  valued  at  four 
thousand  dollars. 

Captain  Stetson's  home  is  in  Revere,  Mass.,  near  Bos- 
ton, and  he  is  well  known  in  this  port,  having  sailed  here 


1 44  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

for  many  years ;  he  is  a  well-built  man,  with  a  clear  blue 
eye  and  round,  full  face  which  shows  nerve  and  firmness 
in  every  line.  All  of  the  shipping  men  who  best  under- 
stand and  appreciate  the  bravery  and  skillful  seamanship 
required  in  picking  us  up  speak  in  high  terms  of  him. 

Captain  Stetson  says,  in  his  modest  way:  "  The  storm 
as  described  by  Captain  Crapo  was  a  fearful  one,  and  we 
were  fortunate  as  we  did  not  lose  a  particle  of  canvas  or 
part  a  rope.  My  wife  and  two  children  were  on  board 
at  the  time,  a  lass  of  thirteen  and  a  lad  of  ten.  After 
eating  supper  Tuesday  night  I  went  on  deck  and  did  not 
go  below  again  until  midday,  Wednesday.  The  cook  was 
bringing  something  on  deck  for  the  crew  to  eat,  when  the 
mate  called  out,  '  There's  a  boat,  Captain,  with  five  people 
on  it  under  our  lee.'  4  Take  that  back,  cook  ;  we  have  got 
to  save  those  men  before  we  eat,'  I  said.  There  was  no 
way  of  getting  to  them  except  to  drift,  and  that  was 
attempted,  and  as  we  started  the  schooner  scudded  by  us, 
between  us  and  the  boat,  consequently  the  boat  drifted 
by  us.  As  I  saw  we  had  drifted  by  them  I  had  all  the 
sail  put  on  I  dared  to  and  ran  away  from  them,  leaving 
them  clinging  to  the  boat. 

"I  ran  out  of  sight,  and  I  was  afraid  they  would  give 
up  in  despair.  So  as  soon  as  I  could  I  wore  around  and 
ran  back.  When  I  caught  sight  of  them  I  began  drifting. 
I  intended  to  get  them  if  it  took  all  night,  for  I  could  not 
go  and  leave  them  to  perish.  It  took  me  three  hours,  but 
at  last  I  got  headed  so  that  I  drifted  right  up  to  the  man 
on  the  boards.  As  I  came  up  the  schooner  laid  over,  her 
rail  under  water,  and  we  picked  him  up,  and  as  she  righted 
he  rolled  in  on  deck,  saved,  thank  God.  Three  minutes 
after  I  drifted  down  on  the  boat,  and  as  it  came  alongside 
I  reached  my  hand  to  Captain  Crapo  and  pulled  him  on 
board. 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  145 

"  My  wife  gave  the  sailors  some  hot  rum  and  they  soon 
began  to  feel  better.  Captain  Crapo  refused  to  drink  any. 
Wickland,  the  Swede,  was  so  overjoyed  at  being  rescued 
that  his  mind  was  affected  almost  as  soon  as  he  got  on 
board  my  schooner,  poor  fellow  ;  yet  situated  as  they  were 
it  is  no  wonder,  as  it  takes  nerves  of  steel  to  go  through 
what  they  did  alone  on  the  mighty  deep,  clinging  to  a  frail 
boat  which  was  tumbled  about  like  a  chip  by  the  mighty 
waves.  Words  cannot  describe  it,  and  it  is  a  mystery  how 
Captain  Crapo  ever  got  her  in  the  water  without  her 
smashing  to  pieces. 

"Captain  Crapo  says,  in  reply:  'When  I  saw  that  we 
would  soon  have  to  take  to  the  boat,  which  was  upside 
down  on  the  forehatchway  where  she  was  lashed,  I  cut 
the  lashings  from  her  and  rolled  her  over,  and  I  began 
nailing  strips  of  boards  on  the  gunwale  and  put  the  oars 
in  and  lashed  them  amidships.  I  then  nailed  an  awning 
around  her  which,  with  the  oars,  formed  a  sort  of  roof. 
I  then  ordered  a  keg  of  water  put  in  and  meat  and  pro- 
visions, as  we  did  not  know  when  we  would  be  picked  up, 
if  at  all.  I  then  cut  adrift  two  planks  which  were  used 
to  stay  the  deck  load  and  lashed  a  line  about  eighty  fathom 
long  to  them  and  threw  them  overboard,  to  act  as  a  drogue 
for  the  boat.  Several  times  while  getting  her  ready  heavy 
seas  would  board  us  and  fill  the  boat  nearly  full  of  water. 
When  we  got  all  ready  we  had  to  work  very  careful  in 
order  to  launch  her  safely,  and  we  were  very  fortunate  in 
doing  so.'" 

Our  escape  from  a  watery  grave  was  indeed  a  miracle, 
and  we  are  indebted  to  Captain  Stetson  for  his  timely 
assistance,  as  we  could  not  have  held  on  much  longer,  as 
we  were  very  much  exhausted.  We  were  very  thankful 
to  be  permitted  to  once  more  walk  the  deck  of  a  good 
staunch  vessel.     Captain  Stetson's  destination  was  Savan- 


I46  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

nah,  Georgia,  and  as  we  had  no  choice  of  a  landing  place 
we  were  contented  to  proceed  there  with  him.  Every- 
thing that  could  be  done  for  us  was  done  by  everyone  on 
board,  especially  the  captain,  his  wife  and  children,  who 
seemed  to  be  always  looking  for  our  comfort.  Wickland, 
the  sailor,  was  in  a  bad  way,  but  with  proper  treatment  in 
a  quiet  place  he  may  regain  his  reason.  At  last  we  arrived 
at  Savannah,  and  once  more  stepped  on  dry  land,  which 
was  very  pleasant  to  us  after  our  terrible  experience,  and 
the  news  of  our  disaster  spread  like  wildfire,  and  the 
evening  paper  called  the  Savannah  Daily  Times  printed 
the  following,   which  I  will  give  just  as  it  was  printed  : 

Savannah,  Georgia,  Monday,  Aug.  31st,  1885. 

FOUNDERED   AT   SEA. 

Another  victim  of  the  hurricane  of  Tuesday  last. — The 
schooner  Gustie  Wilson,  from  New  York  for  Jackson- 
ville, goes  down  off  Cape  Hatteras. — Her  crew  take  to 
their  boat. — Their  fearful  suffering. — Three  drowned 
and  three  finally  saved. 

This  morning  the  schooner  Emily  Northam,  Captain  H. 
H.  Stetson,  arrived  in  port,  having  been  delayed  on  the 
way  by  the  storm  of  Tuesday  last.  He  reports  that  he 
had  good  weather  until  about  fifty  miles  east  of  Hatteras, 
when  a  hurricane  struck  him  with  full  force. 

He  hove  his  vessel  to  and  made  every  preparation  for 
meeting  the  storm,  fortunately  pulling  through  it  all  right, 
though  badly  shaken  up.  The  next  day  about  midday, 
while  still  hove  to,  a  boat  was  sighted  bottom  up  with 
three  men  clinging  to  it.  He  immediately  prepared  to  go 
down  to  it  and  see  what  he  could  do  towards  rescuing  the 
unfortunate  sailors,  but  in  this  he  had  great  difficulty  as 
the  wind  was  blowing  terrible  strong  and  the   seas  were 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  147 

rolling  mountains  high,  and  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
make  any  sail  on  the  vessel.  He,  after  three  hours'  hard 
work,  managed  to  drift  down  to  the  boat,  when  he  found 
that  she  belonged  to  the  schooner  Gustie  Wilson,  Captain 
Thomas  Crapo,  bound  from  New  York  to  Jacksonville, 
Florida,  with  railroad  iron.  Every  sea  that  hit  the  boat 
rolled  her  over  and  over,  and  washed  those  clinging  to  it 
for  dear  life  as  far  as  twenty  feet  away.  They  would 
swim  back  only  to  be  washed  off  again.  Captain  Crapo 
estimates  that  this  occurred  at  least  one  hundred  times,  but 
fortunately  they  were  always  enabled  to  regain  the  up- 
turned boat  and  keep  themselves  afloat. 

At  last  they  sighted  the  North  am  and  hope  revived  that 
they  might  be  saved.  After  she  had  been  sighted  the  mate 
died  from  exhaustion  and  floated  away.  Captain  Crapo 
says,  "We  were  on  the  bottom  and  clinging  to  the  boat 
for  six  hours  and  carrying  on  a  fearful  battle  for  life." 

There  were  six  of  us  all  told,  but  only  three  live  to  tell 
the  tale,  and  they  are  badly  used  up.  It  was  a  terrible 
experience,  and  our  escape  from  death  was  miraculous. 
They  will  always  be  able  to  relate  a  fearful  tale  of  the  sea, 
one  of  the  most  thrilling  to  which  we  have  ever  listened. 

Captain  Stetson  further  reports  that  he  passed  a  great 
deal  of  wreckage  all  day  yesterday,  between  St.  Helena 
Sound  and  the  lightship,  consisting  of  boats,  bales  of 
goods,  planks,  drift-wood,  and  so  on.  The  only  thing  he 
could  pick  up  was  a  case  of  lard  marked  "  Diamond  G." 
He  also  passed  a  water  tank  and  various  other  articles 
belonging  to  vessels.  He  is  showing  the  rescued  seamen 
every  attention  possible,  and  hopes  to  soon  bring  them 
around  all  right  again.  He  says  he  cannot  begin  to 
express  his  feelings  when  he  first  saw  them  clinging  to 
that  capsized  boat,  especially  when  he  found  so  much  diffi- 
culty in  getting  to  them,  and  when  he  got  them  on  board 
he  thinks  he  felt  as  happy  as  they  did  themselves. 


148  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 

According  to  the  theory  of  Admiral  Semmes  we  must 
have  been  caught  in  a  cyclone.  They  are  described  as 
having  two  motions,  one  forward  in  the  direction  in  which 
they  are  travelling,  and  another  in  a  circle.  Therefore 
when  a  vessel  first  encounters  one  of  these  dread  disturbers 
of  the  elements,  she  is  struck  by  the  wind  blowing  in  a 
certain  direction.  As  the  storm  passes  on  its  course  the 
vessel  gradually  gets  within  the  centre  of  the  cyclone,  and 
there  is  almost  a  dead  calm. 

As  the  storm  continues  on  its  courses  the  vessel  encoun- 
ters that  portion  of  the  circumference  of  the  circle  opposite 
to  that  which  first  struck  her,  and  she  finds  herself  again  at 
the  mercy  of  furious  winds  blowing  from  an  entirely  differ- 
ent direction.  This  was  exactly  the  condition  of  the  Wil- 
son as  described  by  Captain  Crapo.  She  was  struck  on 
Friday  night  by  the  perimeter  of  the  cyclonic  circle,  then 
the  cyclone  passed  over  her,  and  left  her  in  a  calm,  then  as 
it  went  on  northward  she  was  again  struck  by  the  circle, 
with  the  wind  from  an  opposite  direction,  and  she  found  it 
impossible  to  weather  both  attacks,  consequently  she 
foundered. 

The  Savannah  Morning  News  of  Feb.  15th,  18S7,  reads 
thus  : 

A  Brave  Man's  Reward! 


CAPTAIN    STETSON'S    HEROIC   CONDUCT    AT    SEA   WORTHILY 

RECOGNIZED. 

About  three  weeks  ago,  just  before  leaving  New  York, 
Capt.  H.  H.  Stetson,  of  the  schooner  Emily  F.  Northam, 
was  presented  with  a  handsome  gold  medal  at  the  mari- 
time exchange,  by  the  Life  Saving  Humane  Benevolent 
Society  of  New  York,  in  recognition  of  his  gallant  rescue 


CAPT.  THOS.  CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  149 

of  Captain  Crapo  and  two  of  his  crew,  of  the  wrecked 
schooner  Gustie  Wilson,  August  26th,  1885.  His  act  was 
applauded  everywhere,  and  was  considered  a  daring  feat 
of  seamanship  in  the  way  it  was  done.  The  captain  is 
justly  proud  of  his  medal,  and  it  is  a  just  recognition  of  his 
gallant  conduct. 

After  remaining  in  Savannah  a  few  days  I  bid  the  Cap- 
tain and  his  family  good-bye,  and  proceeded  to  New  York, 
having  had  a  pass  sent  to  me  by  the  underwriters,  and 
from  there  I  returned  to  New  Bedford,  where  I  stayed  quite 
a  length  of  time,  to  recruit  up. 

Early  the  next  spring  I  bought  another  schooner  named 
the  Oriole,  and  have  followed  the  coasting  business  up  to 
the  present  time.  I  am  to-day  in  good  health  and  spirits, 
and  am  at  present  only  waiting  for  the  spring  to  open, 
when  I  shall  again  bend  sail  and  start  in  quest  of  cargoes, 
for  one  must  be  up  and  doing  these  days  in  order  to  keep 
their  head  above  water. 

I  am  in  receipt  of  letters  almost  daily,  with  orders  for 
photographs  of  my  wife  and  myself,  and  many  times  of  the 
boat,  and  as  we  get  them  by  the  thousand,  we  are  always 
ready  to  meet  the  demand. 

Hoping  my  efforts  to  please  have  been  successful,  I 
will  close,  with  best  wishes  to  all. 


150  LIFE    AND    ADVENTURES    OF 


My  late  husband,  Captain  Crapo,  bought  the  brig 
Manson  of  New  Bedford  in  the  spring  of  1895.  She 
■was  run  very  successfully  in  the  coasting  business,  carry- 
ing lumber  and  general  merchandise  between  Boston, 
Philadelphia  and  Norfolk,  Va. — Captain  Crapo  being 
accompanied  by  myself  on  a  good  many  of  his  voyages. 
It  may  be  interesting  to  note  here  that  I  was  always  con- 
sidered a  fit  first  officer  for  the  Manson,  and  it  gives 
me  all  the  more  regret  to  speak  of  the  loss  of  the  brig, 
which  occurred  January  9th,  189S.  In  the  beginning  of 
January  she  left  Norfolk,  Va.,  with  a  cargo  of  lumber  for 
Philadelphia,  but  encountered  foggy  weather,  which  be- 
came so  severe  that  Captain  Crapo  deemed  it  advisable  to 
make  for  Delaware  breakwater,  and  in  doing  so  the  brig 
which  he  had  made  famous  went  ashore,  and  before  assist- 
ance reached  her  there  was  no  possible  chance  of  saving 
her,  on  account  of  the  severity  of  the  storm.  The  tug 
North  America  was  the  one  sent  to  her  assistance,  but 
before  she  reached  the  Manson  the  seas  had  played 
their  sad  havoc  with  the  brig.  I  also  desire  to  mention 
that  with  the  famous  Manson  perished  the  still  more 
famous  19-foot  boat  the  New  Bedford,  on  which  Captain 
Crapo  and  myself  crossed  the  Atlantic  Ocean  in  1877, 
which  accomplishment  is  still  fresh  in  the  memory  of  the 
people. 

A  still  greater  loss  has  come  to  me  since  the  loss  of  the 
Manson  and  the  New  Bedford,  and  it  is  this  loss  that  has 
caused  me  to  write  this  short  article.  While  Captain 
Crapo  was  on  his  way  from  New  Bedford  to  Cuba  in  a 
nine-foot  boat  named  Volunteer  this  sad  loss  came  to  me. 
On    his    voyage    he    had  visited    Fall    River,    Providence, 


CAPT.    THOS.    CRAPO    AND    WIFE.  151 

Bristol  and  Newport.  He  left  Newport  May  3,  1899,  anc^ 
was  never  heard  of  again  until  his  body  was  found  off 
Charlestown  beach,  he  having  been  drowned  by  the  cap- 
sizing of  his  boat  in  a  severe  gale. 

Just  previous  to  the  death  of  my  husband  he  had  the 
misfortune  to  lose  almost  his  entire  estate,  on  account  of 
the  loss  of  his  vessel  and  other  things,  and  I  am  now  solely 
depending  on  the  result  of  the  book  "  Strange  but  True," 
published  by  my  late  husband  and  myself.  I  therefore 
commend  the  book  to  those  who  are  in  sympathy  with  in- 
creasing the  sale  of  it,  believing  that  it  will  be  both  enter- 
taining and  instructive  to  all  who  read  it. 

With  my  best  wishes  to  all, 

Joanna  Crapo. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 
on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


2$foy 


60 


KEC'D  LP 


MftY9    1960 


2f*V6' 


^* 


R^"D  LD 


JM 1 9  '65  -8 


PM 


_lr 


r* 


#* 


LOAN  DEPt. 


LD  21A-50m-4,'60 
(A9562sl0)476B 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


1 


M167360 


C©9 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


iHP 


a<aff 


%& 


I  '.-yHt 


